Believing
by Ookami Z
Summary: Garderobe is taken over by a new enemy that threatens the whole world. Will there be anyone left to stop him? Mainly Arika/Mashiro with Shizuru/Natsuki, Chie/Aoi, Haruka/Yukino, and others. Mai Otome Universe after Mai-Otome Zwei.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Really quick note, this story can be seen as a sequel to my first story, "Failing" but it can also stand on it's own. It takes place a year after "Failing" and after the anime "Mai-Otome Zwei" in the Mai-Otome Universe.  


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**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome or the characters here. Sunrise Does. I do own my original characters.**

**Believing**

**1.**

"Arika!" Mashiro called loudly from her room waiting for a response from her otome. "Arika!" she called again without any success. _'Where is she?' _"Arghh…"Mashiro growled lowly as she stood from her bed.

"Mashiro-sama! What's wrong?" Aoi called as she ran into the room fearing something had happened to the queen, since her shouting was very much un-Mashiro like. "Do you know where Arika-chan is?" Mashiro asked frustrated. "Hmm…didn't she leave to go to Garderobe earlier today?" Mashiro's cheeks blushed slightly as she remembered why she didn't remember Arika telling her she was leaving.

~_Earlier That Morning…_

"Mashiro…" Arika said as she shook the queen lightly. "Mashiro…"

"Huh?" Mashiro said with eyes still closed. She moved and placed her arm on her otome's waist, pulling her closer and making the sleeping queen moan slightly as their naked bodies touched once again.

Arika blushed slightly at the queen's moan and removed the arm that embraced her. "Mashiro…I have to go…" she whispered closely to the queen's ear.

Mashiro did not register her Otome's words and just snuggled closer to her otome taking in her scent against her skin. "Leave?" She asked groggily. Arika chuckled lightly. "I promised Shizuru-oneesama that I would babysit for her and the principal."

"Ohhh…" Mashiro mumbled against Arika's chest not really paying attention to what she was saying. Arika blushed as she felt Mashiro's roaming hands on the prowl. "Ma-Mashiro…I really need to go…" Arika said as she tried to pry the queen off. Of course, there was no success.

"Mashiro-sama…you okay?" Aoi asked concerned as she saw the queen blushing in a dream-like state. Mashiro quickly snapped out of it and turned to Aoi, "Yes, I'm fine…Now I remember why she left…" Aoi just nodded her head in understanding. "Okay Queen, Well you have a couple of important meetings today, so we better get you ready," Aoi walked to the queen's large walk-in closet and started to take out the queen's garments for the day.

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"Hey Arika-chan!" Chie said as she walked into the principal's office and saw the girl sitting on the couch with a baby on her arms. "Chie-sempai! How are you?" Chie smiled and sat on the couch with the girl, "I'm fine, just came by to see the principal, but it seems she's not around huh'?" Arika nodded her head as she finished feeding the bottle to the baby. "No, she's not here, she and Shizuru-oneesama left earlier today to some important meeting I think. And they couldn't take the twins." Chie looked around, "Yea, where is the other chibi?" Arika laughed softly, "She's sleeping, she is so unlike her sister Kiyo. I've been trying to get Kiyo to take a nap but no matter how hard I try, she wont go to sleep."

Chie chuckled, "Well, good luck with that, we know Kiyo is just like her mom Natsuki, stubborn as always," Arika just laughed and then she heard Duri cry. "Chie-sempai! You woke her up." Arika stood up and gave Kiyo over to Chie. "Why-What? Why you giving her to me?" Arika just walked over to get Duri. "You woke Duri up, so now you have to help me," Chie gave a low chuckle as she cuddle Kiyo, "Fine, you better be glad I don't have anything better to do right now." Arika just smiled as she grabbed Duri and sat on the couch beside Chie and Kiyo. "Aren't they beautiful?" Arika asked as she calmed Duri down whom soon returned to her previous state of sleep. Although the babies were twins, Kiyo had emerald colored eyes like Natsuki and Duri had Ruby colored eyes like Shizuru. Kiyo had brown hair similar to Shizuru's and Duri had dark hair like Natsuki. "Yea, they really are…look, Kiyo is falling asleep," Chie said in a whisper as both babies fell asleep.

"So Chie-sempai, you've been married for almost a year, when are you and Aoi going to have a baby?" Arika asked with a smirk, knowing that Chie was a little reluctant to having children, claiming it was still 'too soon'. "I-I don't know. I don't think Aoi is ready…" Chie said quietly trying not to disturb the sleeping children.

Arika gave a small chuckle, "Aoi? I think it's you who's not ready. Aoi is more than ready. You should see her whenever the principal and Shizuru-oneesama bring the kids to the palace to visit us, Aoi doesn't get far from the babies for a second. She cuddles them and is very sweet with them…to tell you the truth, she seems like she would make a good mother…" Chie just turned to hide the small blush in her face, "Well…yea but…" Arika interrupted Chie before she could continue, "I mean, it's not like you can't, because with the technology we have today, you are able to have your own biological children with her, just like Natsuki-sama and Shizuru-oneesama were able to." Chie nodded, "Yea, I guess you're right…I guess I'm just a little scared that…I won't be a good parent…" Arika's eyes widened in surprise at her confession. She would've never thought that the great Chie Hallard would be afraid of something like becoming a mother…

A smirk quickly made it's way to Chie's face as she tried to change the subject. "Well, Arika-chan, enough about me, what about you and Mashiro-sama?" Arika looked at Chie confused, "What about us?" Chie chuckled lightly, "Oh please Arika-chan, you know what…When are you guys becoming official?" Arika had a small blush on her face, "we…we are official…" Chie laughed a little too hard making Kiyo stir in her arms, "Oops…" she said trying to calm the baby down, "You are not official, almost everybody knows but it's not like Mashiro or you stood up and said, "Hey! We're a couple!" , so officially, you're not a couple…" Arika looked at the ground with a frown forming in her face, "Mashiro doesn't think it's time to do that yet. She says that when we're older…"

Chie looked at the girl with curiosity, "When you're older? You are both 17 and you are both turning 18 pretty soon. I mean…it's none of my business but, she's a queen and there are political issues also…you better make sure you guys are going somewhere, otherwise…you could lose her…" Arika was stunned by Chie's words knowing perfectly that she was right. People knew about their relationship but it was something that was not talked about. Some politicians criticized them but mostly thought it was a 'phase' or that the girls were 'experimenting'. Same sex couples were not uncommon in Windbloom, but were still uncommon in other countries, and the queen of Windbloom herself being in one made some worry about political ties.

Many kept their opinion to themselves, but a certain politician was very against the prospect of the queen being in an official same-sex relationship with her Otome. Masashi Takeda was an ambassador native from Vreen, a far away country made up of a large island surrounded by smaller islands. He was very conservative and never lost a chance to criticize the queen's relationship openly. It was thanks to him that many politicians also took to question the queen's choices in relationships.

"I…I know…but I don't want to force her either…" Chie nodded, "Yes, I understand, but just be careful okay Arika-chan?" Arika smiled, "Hai."

As Chie and Arika kept talking softly to keep the babies from waking up, Natsuki stormed into the office slamming the door against the wall. "Natsuki, please calm down…" Shizuru said as she walked in behind her trying to calm the principal down. The twins started crying as they were startled by the loud sound their mother had made. Natsuki quickly turned to the stunned faces of Chie and Arika who held the crying babies. "See Natsuki? You woke the babies up…" Shizuru said as she walked to Arika and took Duri in her arms trying to calm her down. "I…I'm sorry…" Natsuki apologized as she took Kiyo from Chie. Shizuru quickly calmed the baby and smiled to Chie and Arika. "I apologize for my wife's rude behavior," she said sending a glare towards Natsuki who just shrunk in her chair as she rocked the baby in her arms. "It's not my fault Shizuru, those retards are trying to get rid of all the Otomes!" Natsuki said in her defense. "You guys went to the SOLT meeting? What happened?" Chie asked as she stood up from the couch. "Well, some politicians are trying to get rid of the Otomes and want to close down Garderobe, saying it is a waste of resources and too dangerous for the peace treaty." Shizuru answered quietly as Duri began to fall asleep again. Kiyo of course still kept crying in Natsuki's arms.

"Close down Garderobe?!" Asked Arika a little too loudly and received a death glare from Natsuki. She quickly lowered her voice, "But, they can't do that can they?" Shizuru nodded her head, "No, not as long as we have enough support. We just have to make sure we keep our supporters and we don't lose them, or else…they will close us down and take our robes away, including our nano-machines."

Chie cringed at the thought, "Well, we just have to make sure they don't get enough support against us." Natsuki nodded her head in agreement, " And, we have the perfect plan to make sure that doesn't happen."

"How?' Both Arika and Chie asked simultaneously. "We have decided to talk to the Queen and convince her to host a formal event where ambassadors from all the countries in the peace treaty get together, giving us a chance to prove that Garderobe and the Otomes are not a risk." Shizuru explained.

"That's a great idea Shizuru-san," Chie said and turned to Arika, "You should also help convince Mashiro-sama, I bet you know ways to convince her huh'?" Arika blushed as she took in Chie's meaning. "Ara, Chie-chan, you shouldn't tease Arika-chan like that, after all, we are counting on her persuading skills." Shizuru said teasingly.

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"Mashiro!" Arika exclaimed as she ran towards the queen who sat in her desk signing some documents. Mashiro barely had time to look up when she felt Arika's lips upon hers. Mashiro blushed and kissed her back before pulling away, too fast for Arika's liking.

"Welcome back Arika, how are the twins?" Arika smiled and she sat on the desk. "They are lovely as usual, Chie-sempai stopped by and helped me." Mashiro returned to her work, "Huh' really? That's nice." Arika took Mashiro's pen playfully, earning a glare from Mashiro, which had no effect on the otome. "I'm trying to work Arika…" Arika slid onto Mashiro's lap and straddled her, "Can't you work later?" she asked as she leaned in to kiss the queen's neck. "A-Arika…I…Have to work…"

Arika pulled back to look into the queen's eyes. "I have something to talk to you about…" Mashiro was surprised at the serious tone Arika rarely used. "Hmmm…sure…What is it Arika?" Arika looked away quickly trying to think of the right words to say. "Mashiro, you know I love you right?" Mashiro blushed and leaned in to the girl's ear and said, "I love you too Arika," Arika stopped a moan that tried to escape her throat as Mashiro started to nibble on her ear lobe, "Then…Why…Why haven't we become official?" Mashiro pulled back startled at the girl's question. "Wh-Why this all of the sudden?" She asked, but before Arika could answer Aoi walked into the office and blushed when she saw the girls. Mashiro realized the position they were in and quickly stood up making Arika fall to the ground. "What is it Aoi?" she asked as she straightened her dress and Arika got up from the floor rubbing her head. "I'm sorry for…for interrupting Mashiro-sama, but Principal Natsuki Kruger and Archmeister Shizuru Viola are here and want to speak with you. They are waiting in the library,"

"Okay, tell them I will be there in a second." Aoi nodded and left. Mashiro turned to Arika, "We will talk about this later okay?" Arika just nodded and followed behind Mashiro.

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"A party you say?" Mashiro asked as she sat across the Principal and Archmeister. "Yes Queen Mashiro, we find it to be a vital element to keep Garderobe and Otome's from disappearing." Shizuru explained and took a sip of her tea.

Outside of the library Chie helped Aoi take care of the Kruger-Viola twins. She watched how Aoi played with the babies and rocked them in her arms, carrying both at a time, one in each arm. "You really like the twins huh?" Chie asked as she saw the joy in her wife's eyes. "Yes, I love them so much. They are adorable aren't they Chie?" Chie nodded in agreement. _Wow…maybe Arika is right, I'm being selfish by keeping Aoi waiting for me just because I'm a coward…_

"I would be glad to host the event here at the palace," Mashiro said with a smile, since she knew she wouldn't let anybody take Arika away from her. "Thank you Mashiro-sama, we were hoping you'd say that," Natsuki said with a smile of her own as she stood up. "Well then, we will contact you with the details later, since we have to go now, but we were thinking we could have the party next weekend?" Shizuru said as she stood up with her wife.

"That sounds great. I will have everything ready by then." Mashiro said as she too got up from her chair. Arika just stood silent behind the chair. "Very well, we will take care of making the invitations and making sure everybody comes, again thank you. We apologize for not being able to stay longer but the twins have a doctor's appointment today and we don't want to be late."

"The doctor? Are they sick?" Arika asked with concern. "No, they're fine Arika-chan, it's just a routine check up." Shizuru answered the girl with a smile, "Thank you for your concern." Arika nodded in relief. "Alright Principal and Shizuru-san, Thank you for coming. I will be looking forward to the event," Mashiro said as she followed her guest outside the library. There Aoi placed the babies back in the carrier and handed them over to Natsuki. "Thank you Aoi-san," Aoi smiled and said, "Anytime principal, you know how much I love the twins." Shizuru smiled as she hear Aoi, "And that is why we asked you and Chie to be the Godmothers of Kiyo." Natsuki chuckled, "You would've been the godmothers of Duri too but Armitage wouldn't stop begging us to let her and Yukino be Godmothers too, so now you have to share." Chie and Aoi laughed, "Not that we mind Natsuki-san, we love your kids and you know it," Chie said as she put an arm around Aoi's waist, "and hopefully soon we can have our own kids and you can both be the Godmothers too." Aoi turned to Chie with a confused look not believing what she had heard. "You do want kids, right Aoi?" Chie asked already knowing the answer. A large smile spread through her face. "Of course!" She said as she hugged Chie tightly.

"Yep…I thought so." Chie said with a laugh.

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**A/N:**

**Well guys, I'm back with a new story! I hope you** **guys liked the first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. This story will focus mainly on Arika and Mashiro, but as you can see, I will also have many of the other couples here. I plan on having, obviously, Shizuru and Natsuki, Haruka and Yukino, Chie and Aoi (you'll see what happens with them :D ) and others. Oh, SURPRISE! I plan on making Nao pair up with someone that's not Shiho! Can you guess who?!? Thank you for reading and I hope you guys will enjoy this story :D**

**P.S. I know I know. Using Takeda as a bad guy is kinda...already used in many stories, but please, I can't stand the guy!**

_Next Chapter: The Party is held and Arika receives bad news. Will Chie keep her word or get scared? Shizuru doesn't like Natsuki's new 'friend', so what will she do about it?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Believing**

**2.**

Arika walked impatiently around the room as she waited for Mashiro to come out of the bathroom. Mashiro had told her they would talk about _it _later, but she seemed to have forgotten about it, _'Or maybe she doesn't want to talk about it…but why?' _thought Arika as she decided to lay on the bed before she made a hole on the ground.

Aoi came into the room with the queen's dress for the night. "Is she still inside?" she asked Arika who laid on the bed with her legs dangling off the side. "Yep." she said without looking up. Aoi nodded and walked to sit on a couch but Arika stopped her. "Ano…Aoi…do you think you could leave us alone for a second? I need to speak with Mashiro-chan when she comes out." Aoi nodded but as she started to leave Mashiro stepped out and asked her, "Where are you going? You're supposed to help me with my dress, Aoi." Aoi looked at Arika who quickly stepped in, "I will help you Mashiro-chan…I just need to talk to you."

"Oh…Okay," Mashiro replied as she nodded for Aoi to leave. She walked to the bed where the dress laid beside Arika. "Well, what is it you want to talk about?" Mashiro asked as she stepped into the dress. Arika walked behind her and started to zip it up. "Mashiro-chan…I know you said we would talk about…_us…_ but it seems that you forgot, or maybe you're just avoiding it…"Arika felt Mashiro's body tense as she said those words. "I'm sorry Mashiro…maybe this isn't the right time…" she started to say but stopped as Mashiro turned around and pressed her lips against her own. Mashiro pulled away and hugged Arika, "No Arika, it is the right time. I'm sorry if I've been acting like I'm avoiding the subject, but I've been thinking and…I'm just so sorry for being selfish…" Mashiro said onto Arika's shoulder as tears started to fall from her eyes. "Mashiro…" Arika tried to stop the girl's tears but Mashiro continued, "I've been selfish and haven't made a formal commitment to you in fear of what others would think, but I have realized that I don't care what others think. I'm sure my kingdom, _our _kingdom will accept us in our love." Arika smiled as she kissed Mashiro pushing her onto the bed behind her. Mashiro pulled back from the girl as Arika's hands started to roam the queen's body.

Arika let out a small whimper at the action. "So I have decided that today would be great to make our relationship officially known," Mashiro said which caused large smile to spread through Arika's face. "Today? Really?" Mashiro nodded at the girl above her, "Yes, today's event will have many important people from most countries around us, so it will make it easier for everyone to know at the same time."

"Thank you." Arika said as she started kissing Mashiro's neck. "Arika…we have to go remember?" Arika nodded but did not stop. "A-Arika…we-we don't have time for this." Mashiro tried in between the moans the other girl was eliciting from her. Arika looked up and smiled, "Yes we do."

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"Wow, I've never seen so many politicians in one place that didn't involve someone getting in trouble," Chie said as she stood beside Shizuru and Natsuki. Shizuru nodded as she looked around the palace hall that was filled with politicians and ambassadors from all the countries in the peace treaty. "I agree Chie-chan, there are way more than we thought would show up, which is good, since that's what we need." Chie nodded her head in agreement knowing that they needed to show the nations that Otomes were not a danger to society as some claimed.

They stood around talking until a red head walked to them. "Well, I finally found you guys. I thought I would get lost in the seas of people out there." Nao said as she joined them. "Nao? Where the hell you've been?" Natsuki asked in surprise since it had been a couple of weeks since they had heard from the red head.

"Huh'? What's it to ya?" Nao asked with her usual annoyed tone. Natsuki threw her a death glare but Nao was unaffected, "Oh please, like that's ever worked on me, mutt," she said as she moved her hand as if waving it off. "But if you all must know, I've been on vacation with my girlfriend at the beach."

Chie looked at her surprised, "You went to the beach with Shiho? I just saw her a few days ago downtown," Nao looked at her as if she had just been insulted, "Shiho?! Who the hell said I was with Shiho?" Natsuki laughed, "Well, who else would be stupid enough to date you?"

"All of you need to understand that I am NOT dating that witch," Nao said as she glared at the group. "You're not?" Shizuru asked joining the teasing, "NO! I AM NOT!" Nao practically screamed earning weird looks from guests who were close enough to hear her screaming.

"Then where is she?" Chie asked as she looked around trying to find Nao's companion. "Arika took her away to see Mashiro as soon as we stepped in. "No way…" Chie said as she realized who Nao was talking about.

"Ara…" Shizuru said softly as she too realized who was the only person who Arika would take to see Mashiro so hastily.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Natsuki started laughing uncontrollably which angered Nao. "What the hell you laughing at?"

"Hahahaha….you…..hahaha…are…hahaha….dating….Nina Wang!! Hahaha!" Natsuki said as she doubled over in laughter. Shizuru tried to calm her wife down as she patted her on the back. "Ara, Natsuki shouldn't be so mean."

"Why the hell you laughing mutt?! What the fuck is so funny?!" Nao shouted in anger as her face redden to a color similar as her hair.

"Nao…" Chie said as she tried hard not to join in Natsuki's fun, "We though you weren't gay, and that Shiho was just your fun."

"Yea, Yea! What happened to finding a rich man to buy you all the things you wanted huh? Gave up or what?" Natsuki teased as she tried to stop her laughter.

"I'm a fucking Otome! What the hell do you expect?!" Nao said still pissed when Natsuki kept laughing.

"Well Nao-san…are you serious with Nina-san? She's pretty young after all…" Shizuru asked the girl to try to divert her attention from the laughing principal.

"Well…yea, I mean…we've been going out for a few weeks now…" Nao said turning to Shizuru and ignoring Natsuki.

"What about Sergeant Wang?" Chie asked since she knew that back at Garderobe Nina had had some feelings for him. "What about him?" Nao asked already knowing the answer.

"Damn Nao! Don't tell me you didn't know about Nina's obsession with the guy? I though the chick was straight!" Natsuki said finally being able to control her laughter.

"It wasn't obsession. I talked to her and she was just confused. He was the only person that had given her protection and love, so she thought what she felt for him was more than one's love for their father." Nao explained to the group. She had already heard about Nina's obsession back at Garderobe, Nina having been her room attendant, but when she started getting closer to the girl, she had found out the real reason for her infatuation with the Sergeant. After he was injured in the war against Nagi, he had lost his memories and had become a completely different man, and it was then that Nina realized her true feelings for him were only immense gratitude. The only thing Nina regretted was realizing it too late. She had lost a dear friend to her obsession, killing her with her own hands. It was something that Nina regretted every day of her life.

"Principal Kruger, you are wanted by the council members in the library." Aoi said as she walked in to the group of Otomes who stood in a corner talking. "Oh, Okay. Thank you Aoi-san." Natsuki said, "Okay, I'll be back."

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"Nina!" Mashiro said as she hugged the blue haired girl. It had been a long time since she had seen the girl and she really did miss her. "How are you doing Mashiro-sama?" Nina asked returning the embrace.

"I'm doing good. Everything in the country is doing fine as well." Mashiro answered as she released the girl. Arika walked to stand beside the queen. "So you guys still together?" Nina asked when she saw the close proximity of the girls. "Yep. We are making it official today actually." Arika said with a large smile.

"Really?! That's amazing!" Nina exclaimed with a smile of her own. "How's Sergay doing?" Arika asked since last she had heard, Nina had gone back to the Sergeant. Nina's demeanor quickly changed at the question. "I…I don't really know…"

"What do you mean?" Arika asked concerned at the frown that formed in Nina's face. "Weren't you with him?"

"No, I moved out a few months after he got better. I didn't want to leave him sick or anything, so I just nursed him back to health and moved out." Nina explained softly.

"Ano…but weren't you…like…." Arika tried to continue but wasn't sure of what to say, so Mashiro, knowing the situation from Arika, helped her out. "Weren't you with him? Like in a relationship?"

Nina's eyes widened in surprise. "What?! No! Not at all…" Mashiro looked at her skeptically, "Weren't you in love with him?"

"I…I was confused about him…I thought I loved him more than a father but…I was just thankful and…I've never been good understanding my feelings…." Nina said looking in the floor, a tear threatening to spill, "and because of that…I killed her…"

Arika went to Nina and grabbed her in a hug. "It was an accident Nina-chan…don't blame yourself…"

"Thank you Arika-chan…" Nina said onto her shoulder. "I'm much better now though…thanks to Nao…"

"Nao-sempai?!" Arika asked, "How is she helping you?"

Nina blushed slightly, and Mashiro automatically knew what that look meant, "You're dating her?" Nina nodded.

"Nina-chan! Congratulations! You're dating Nao-sempai!" Arika said as she jumped up and down with Nina still locked in her embrace. "Arika-chan…" Nina tried to brake free to get some air.

"Arika! Let Nina go! You're gonna kill her!" Mashiro said laughing.

"Mashiro-sama, are you ready to come out yet?" Aoi asked as she walked in to the room and saw Arika jumping up and down with Nina in her arms.

"Oh, yes Aoi. Well be there in a second." Mashiro replied as she tried to calm her girlfriend down enough to let the other girl breath.

"Okay, you're guests are waiting." Aoi said before leaving the room.

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"Hmmm….Natsuki is taking long…I wonder what the council wanted…" Shizuru said as she looked around trying to spot Natsuki.

"Probably some stupid SOLT shit. You know how those pricks are." Nao said as she leaned against the wall with some wine. "Perhaps we should take a seat?" Shizuru said leading them to a nearby table large enough for all of them and more. "This is so boring…" Nao said as she took her spot next to Chie. "So how's life for ya?"

"It's going good I guess." Chie said glancing at the floor. "What's wrong?" Nao asked noticing the expression on her face. "I…uh…well…I told Aoi we would have children soon…"

"About freaking time dude! I thought you would never do it." Nao said with a laugh.

"It's not that easy Nao." Chie said throwing a glare at her. "Not easy? Hell, if the mutt could do it, then anybody can, right Shizuru-san?" Nao said smirking.

Shizuru laughed, "Well I wouldn't say anybody, but I'm sure Chie-chan and Aoi-chan would make great parents," she finished with a smile.

Chie blushed and smile. "Well, I guess if the great Archmeister Shizuru Viola thinks so, then it must be true right?"

The girls laughed but were interrupted when a couple walked to their table. "Hey guys, mind if we sit here?"

"Ha-Ha-Haruka-san?" Chie asked in surprise. "Ara…Haruka-chan…" Shizuru said trying to remain calm at the figure before her.

"Holy Shit! Are you fucking pregnant?!" Nao asked as she stood up from the table and walked to stand in front of Haruka and started to poke the woman's belly. "Holy shit you are!"

"What the hell you think you're doing?!" Haruka said as she slapped the red head's hand away. Yukino laughed softly behind her wife. "Haruka-chan, calm down, we don't need you to get agitated, that's not good for the baby." she said as she pulled a chair for Haruka, "Here, take a seat."

Haruka took a seat and looked around the table, "Why are you guy's looking at me like that?!"

"Haruka-chan…we didn't know you were pregnant…" Shizuru said as she looked back and forth from the smiling Yukino and mad Haruka. _'Ara…I never thought it would be Haruka getting pregnant between the two…' _

"Well Shizuru-san, it's been a few months since we came to Windbloom." Yukino explained as she rubbed her wife's thigh under the table, knowing that always relaxed her.

"How far along are you?" Chie asked still surprised seeing her commanding general pregnant. It had indeed been a few months since she had seen her. "5 months." Yukino replied for her wife.

"That's great! So do you know what you'll be having?" Shizuru asked, "A girl." Haruka replied feeling much better thanks to her wife's touch.

"See Chie? Her being pregnant proves my point." Nao said with a smirk, "What point Nao?!" Haruka asked knowing she was talking about her. "That _ANYBODY _can be a parent. Look at you." Nao pointed at Haruka.

"That's amazing. That way my little girls can have a playmate," Shizuru said with a smile before Haruka and Nao started to argue.

"What makes you think I'll let my child near your kids? Knowing the mother's they'll be a bad influence to my kid." Haruka said with an annoyed tone. Yukino laughed, "Haruka-chan's joking, of course our kids will be playmates," she said with a smile and putting a little pressure on her wife's thigh, sending her the message of 'be nice'.

Shizuru looked up from the table when she saw a certain blue haired girl pass through the crowd. "Ara, I think Natsuki is lost, I better go bring her back. Excuse me," she said as she stood up to follow Natsuki.

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"Where are they? How dare they leave me like this…" Natsuki mumbled as she looked around trying to find Shizuru and the others.

Takeda stood near the wall waiting for his friend when he spotted a certain blue-haired girl. _'Well…what have we here…Principal Kruger?'_ Takeda had never met Natsuki in person but he had been seen her on TV and other media. _'Well, she's way hotter in person…'_ Takeda walked over to Natsuki.

"Principal Kruger right?" Natsuki spun around at the sound of her name. "Yes…who are you?" Takeda smiled, "Masashi Takeda, Ambassador of Vreen. A pleasure to meet you," he said as he took the principal's hand and kissed it gently. "It is a great honor, Principal Kruger."

Shizuru froze as she spotted a man taking her Natsuki's hand and kissing it. _'What…does…he…think…he…is…doing…?' _Shizuru tried to keep her calm as she walked faster to where her wife stood.

Natsuki was pissed at the man for touching her, but she knew she had to behave in order to show that Otomes were not barbarians, no matter how much she wanted to punch him. Takeda released her hand, "would you like to join me at my table?" he said charmingly, yet still very nervous. Natsuki was about to refuse politely but then felt an arm snake around her waist, and she did not need to turn around to know it was Shizuru. "Ara, Natsuki…I've been looking for you." Shizuru said as she stood beside Natsuki with an arm placed possessively over her. She saw the lust in his eyes and surprise when she came. _'This will show him.' _

"Shizuru! I was looking for you guys too, but I couldn't find you. Where did you guys go?" Natsuki asked, "We took a table, and Haruka and Yukino joined us. They have a surprise." Shizuru replied with a smile.

"Let's go then." Natsuki said and turned to Takeda, "A pleasure to meet you Masashi-san, but we have to go. Enjoy the night." Shizuru took Natsuki's hand in her own and lead the way back to the table.

Takeda stood frozen in place until he was tapped on his shoulder from behind. "Takeda, what the hell are you doing?" the man asked from behind causing Takeda to turn around. "Did…did you see that?" he asked.

"What? The way you were left looking like a retard after Viola-san took Principal Kruger away? Yes, I saw that," the man answered with a tone of anger in his voice. "Don't tell me you are interested in that otome, Takeda.."

Takeda looked at him and his eyes held the answer. "Fuck Takeda! She's an Otome! A lesbian! She's with Viola!" the man said in anger. "So Tate…the rumors are true?" Takeda asked. "Rumors? What rumors. It's a fact. All otomes are the same. That's why we have to get rid of them and that school so they stop perverting the minds of young girls."

Takeda felt anger rising inside him. "Perhaps all she needs is a good man to show her what real love is. She must be confused." he tried to explain, earning an exasperated sigh from the older man. "Whatever Takeda. I warned you." Takeda looked at this friend questioningly. Yuiichi Tate was a strong politician in the council and was the one who had proposed to bring down Garderobe and the Otomes completely, Takeda being a simple, yet helpful, support for him.

"I'll show you." Takeda responded with a grin spreading across his face.

-----------------------

Mashiro walked beside Arika and Nina towards the table where Chie and Nao sat with Yukino and Haruka. "There you guys are!" Arika said as she walked faster to the table. Her eyes went straight to Haruka's belly.

"Haruka-san! You're pregnant!" Arika exclaimed loudly as she went towards her. Haruka rolled her eyes.

"What?!" Natsuki said when she heard Arika's loud statement as she and Shizuru got to the table. "What the fu-"

"Watch you mouth Kruger." Haruka said looking up at Natsuki while trying to keep Arika's hands from her stomach. "Can somebody help me with Ant girl?" she asked.

"Arika, leave Haruka alone," Mashiro said trying to get the girl off Haruka. Nina walked around to sit beside Nao. "Isn't that a surprise huh'?" Nao said to her girlfriend pointing at Haruka.

"How the hell did you get pregnant Haruka?!" Natsuki asked. "The same way you did Kruger!" Haruka replied annoyed, his was worst then she had thought. "I know that, baka, I mean, why you and not Yukino?" Natsuki asked as if her question had been obvious.

"Because she has way too much work and responsibilities to have to worry about carrying a baby around." Haruka said now more annoyed, which she didn't think was possible.

'Huh…" Natsuki said still confused. She never thought Haruka seemed like the motherly type. "Well how's it going Yukino-san? I mean, when my Natsuki was pregnant with the twins she was quite…moody…" Shizuru said with a chuckle.

Nao laughed, "Holy shit, I can't imagine how that was for you Shizuru-san. Kruger's temper is normally bad, I can't start to imagine how bad it was with her hormones all over the place."

"Shut up Nao!" Natsuki said as the whole table laughed.

The last couple that they were expecting arrived to join in the fun. "What's so funny guys?" Mai asked as she sat on a chair with Mikoto beside her. Mikoto of course already carrying a dish full of appetizers. "Well, Haruka-san is pregnant and Nao is dating Nina-chan." Chie explained to them as Mikoto gorged herself on the food. "Haruka is pregnant?" Mikoto asked as she looked up from her plate. She looked at Arika who stood beside Haruka trying to rub her belly and decided to join her. She leaped from her chair and landed right beside Haruka and started to rub her belly, much to Haruka's dislike. "Mai! Mai! Look!" Mikoto called pointing to Haruka, "I want Mai's baby too!" she said making Mai blush and everyone laugh.

---------------------

Tate looked over at the table where the girls sat laughing and enjoying themselves. "Look at those perverts. Having fun while young girls get lost in their perverted ways." Takeda looked over to the table where Tate's gaze led. "You know, not all Otomes are like that…there's that one girl…Akane Soir I believe." Takeda explained.

"Right." Tate huffed. "One out of the many that walk through that path of darkness," he said directing his gaze to the orange haired otome who was trying to pry the cat goddess off the continental otome. _'She should've been mine…how did I lose her to a…a girl….'_ Much of Tate's opposition to the Otome was his own hidden rage against Mai. His family had sponsored her education at Garderobe hoping to get her as an Otome and then making her marry Tate, the heir to the family, but when she disappeared, all their plans had been foiled. _'I will make them pay…'_

Tate stood up from the table abruptly. "What are you doing?" Takeda asked startled. The look of rage on Tate's face was one that concerned him. "This is the perfect time to show the nations the danger that the Otome present to society." Tate rose and walked towards a platform that had been set up for Mashiro.

-----------------------

"You ready Arika?" Mashiro asked as she took the girl by the hand and started towards her platform. "You sure you want to do this Mashiro-chan?" Arika asked nervously, since she didn't want the queen to feel pressured. "I'm sure." Mashiro asked as she smiled at Arika with assurance. "Okay." Arika said and smiled back.

The two walked until Mashiro stopped looking up at a man who stood on the podium. "What is he doing?" she asked, but before she could do anything else, he spoke.

"Could I please have everyone's attention?" Tate asked as he spoke with authority onto the microphone. _'I will show them…'_ he thought as all heads turned towards him. _'I will definitely show them…'_

_**A/N: Well guys, here's chapter two! Sorry for the long wait and I hope you liked it. I worked really hard on this and I hope you didn't get bored with this long chapter, (or it was for me, this is the longest chapter I have ever written :D ) Thanks to all the reviews and for everything. Please keep reviewing if you can. That really makes me smile :)**_

_Next Chapter: Tate spills his venom. How will this affect the Otomes and their relationships?_


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does.

Believing

3.

"Ladies and Gentleman. Tonight we have been brought together to see the so-called marvels of the Otome, yet, what we have seen here is just how low they have become. They talk of the good they can do for society and how they have saved us many times already, yet if we look deep into every problem we have faced, it all comes down to the otomes themselves being the original cause of the problem." Shocked gasps were heard around the hall as Tate kept talking. "Here we see them walk around happily with other otomes as partners. How can we let these…these perverts be the ones who teach our children?!" Tate spoke with bitterness in his words.

"Yuiichi-san?" Mai said startled when she recognized him. "What the hell does he think he is doing?" Natsuki asked in anger as she stood up and started towards the platform.

"But what can we expect from a school where even the principal is a pervert?" Tate said as he pointed at Natsuki who stopped frozen in place as she looked up to him with anger. "So is this who we want to teach our daughters? Is this what we really need? Are we gonna let them ruin the young minds of our daughters?" He continued ignoring Natsuki's glare. Shizuru walked to her side, "Come on Natsuki…" Natsuki turned to her, "We have to do something, we can't let him say things like that."

"There's nothing we can do. He is free to speak his mind, and it wouldn't look good for us to attack him in the middle of his speech now would it?" Shizuru replied with a soft smile to her wife, hoping to calm her.

Tate turned to the other side where he saw a wide-eyed Mashiro and Arika looking up at him. His gaze focused on their intertwined hands. He pointed as he spoke even louder, "Look! Even the Queen is being influenced by this sick way of living!" Arika was stunned and was even more shocked when instead of feeling Mashiro's support, she felt Mashiro pull her hand away in an instant. She felt pain and rejection she had never felt before. Tears pricked at her eyes as she saw Mashiro looking down embarrassed as she shook her head.

Everybody's attention turned to them in an instant. Nina started to get up when she saw Arika's hurt expression but was stopped by Nao, who shook her head, "Don't get involved Nina, it's already too late."

"So today, I ask all of you to support me in my mission to close down Garderobe and bring down all of the Otomes. This women are not worthy of the power that has been bestowed upon them." Tate said as he finished his venom-filled speech. He felt pride in his chest as he looked around and saw the nodding heads of approval from many in the room. He felt the most joy when he saw the faces of the women sitting on the table to whom his attacks were directed. Some had anger in their faces, others sadness, but all of them seemed…defeated. Which was exactly what he wanted.

"What are we going to do Natsuki-san?" Chie asked as she saw the startled faces of her friends. "I…I…" Natsuki stuttered as the anger inside her boiled. "I doubt right now would be a good time to say anything to the people…he has already said a lot." Shizuru said when Natsuki failed to answer. "What? Viola, you can't be serious, we can't just stay here without doing anything!" Haruka said as she stood up and started walking but was stopped by the arm by Yukino. "No Haruka-chan." Yukino spoke firmly, "This is something only the principal can do." Natsuki looked at Yukino and nodded her head as she walked to the platform.

"Mashiro-chan…" Arika tried to get a hold of the girl's hand but she pulled away. "Arika…" Mashiro looked up but it was too late, as she watched Arika walk down the hall.

"Nao, I'll be back," Nina said as she quickly stood up and followed Arika outside, this time Nao was unable to stop her. "Arika! Arika!" Nina called as she ran to her. Arika did not stop and kept walking in the darkness as she reached the outside. Nina caught up with her and grabbed her by the arm pulling her to a stop. "Arika…"

Arika could no longer hold herself and collapsed in the other girl's hold. Tears streamed down her face as buried her face on Nina's shoulder. "It's okay Arika, it's okay," Nina repeated softly as she stroked the girl's soft hair to calm her down.

"No Nina-chan…it's not okay…Mashiro…she's embarrassed of me!" Arika said in sobs as she cried even harder. "No Arika, she loves you, she's just scared. You have to understand her…"

"No!" Arika said loudly as she pulled back, "I always try to understand her. I am always giving her a chance, trying to understand her and comprehend what she's so afraid of, but I'm tired! I…am…so…tired!" Nina pulled the girl back onto her arms as she hugged her. She did not know what else to tell her, since it seemed right now, anything she said wouldn't be enough.

"Excuse me…Everybody, I request your attention please." Natsuki said as she spoke on the podium. She looked around receiving deathly glares and stares. _'Damn that man…' _

"I know what Yuiichi-san has said might have provoked some of you, but I assure you that-" Natsuki was interrupted when a man stood up from his chair, "You! Being the principal of the school are the biggest pervert of them all! You and that Viola!" Natsuki's anger rose making her lose control when he called Shizuru, 'that Viola', "Excuse me sir! But you will show respect to my wife and myself, for we have not done anything to you that deserves this treatment."

"Ha! See?! Yuiichi-san is right! I will not have women like her brainwashing my daughter's mind!" another man said as he joined the chaos that was forming in the hall. Natsuki tried to calm everyone down but was unable to until the queen decided to step up to the platform.

"Everybody, please have a seat." Mashiro said as she took control. Everybody quickly complied, but Yuiichi was not one to be told what to do. "Queen, where is your Otome? Tell us, is it true that you hold a relationship with her?" he asked with a smirk forming on his face.

Mashiro looked around unable to locate Arika as she started to speak, "I…"

Nina was finally able to convince Arika to come back to the party with her once she had calmed down enough. They walked back inside and Arika froze as they entered the hall and she heard Mashiro.

"I am not in a relationship with my Otome that is not one of a Master and Otome." Mashiro said looking around trying to seem confident, but her façade faltered when she saw Arika, who's gaze burned through her. Nina was startled and quickly looked over at Arika, and found something she had never seen before.

There was a pain in Arika's eyes that killed Mashiro on the inside and made her regret her words a thousand times. She tried to speak but her mouth was suddenly dry. She could not read Arika's feelings as she was usually able to, but there was something she was sure she saw in those sapphire eyes. Hate.

**A/N: Thank you all for the awesome reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking it! Here is another chapter, and I know it's short, I'm sorry, but I wanted this to stand by itself as a chapter. I will update soon. Please review :D**

_Next Chapter: Arika leans on Nina for support, which Nao does not find at all okay. Garderobe is in danger of being closed and Natsuki receives a visit that is not at all appreciated by her wife. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Dedication: I dedicate this to my friend and fellow author, xFireWorx, for being so cool and having such awesome stories!**

**Believing**

**4.**

"Mashiro-sama, are you read-" Aoi stopped midsentence as she entered the room when she saw Mashiro. She was sitting on a chair with her legs pulled towards her chest. Dry tears were present in her swollen eyes as she stared blankly onto the bed. "Mashiro-sama…are you okay?" Aoi asked carefully as she stepped towards the girl slowly.

Mashiro did not move until she suddenly started to nod her head slowly. "Mashiro-sama…" Tears started to stream down the girl's face as she nodded, "She hates me…she hates me." Aoi hugged the girl as she started to sob onto Aoi's shoulder. "It's okay Mashiro-sama…she doesn't hate you. She loves you," Aoi said trying to cheer the younger girl up.

"No Aoi…yesterday…her eyes were full of…full of hate…" Mashiro whispered slowly as tears kept running down her cheeks. "She hates me…"

----------------------

Nina opened her eyes as the sun rays broke through the window into her face. She tried to roll over but was unable to as Arika held onto her. "Arika…" Nina tried to wake the other girl up but was unable, as Arika kept sleeping. _'I better let her sleep since she didn't fall asleep until a few hours ago…' _Nina thought as she drifted off to sleep again. It had been a long night and they had fallen asleep just a few hours ago, when Arika was too exhausted from crying to stay awake.

A few hours passed until Nao stormed onto the room and was surprised to find both girls holding on to each other _too_ tenderly to her liking. She walked over and pulled the cover off the girls. "Nina!" Nao said loudly making both girls sit up quickly and bumping their heads on the bunk above them. "Nao!" Nina said quickly as she rubbed her forehead. "Sorry to interrupt you girls…but the principal wants to speak with Arika." Nao said with a glare before she turned around and left the room. "What's wrong with Nao-sempai?" Arika asked as she too rubbed her forehead. "I don't know…" Nina said softly with a frown.

Nao walked down the hallway towards the office in fury. She didn't know what she was mad about exactly, since she knew Nina wasn't cheating on her, but for some reason, seeing Nina with Arika like that made her feel…Jealous. _'They looked…perfect together…' _Nao shook the thought away as she reached the office and stepped in without even knocking. "Nao damn it! How many times do I have to tell you to knock?" Natsuki said loudly.

"Whatever…" Nao said offhandedly as she sat on the couch and started to flip through a magazine without interest. "So? Where are they?" Natsuki asked, seeing how no two girls followed the red head. "They're coming…they are getting dressed up…" Nao answered as she continued to flip through the magazine.

Natsuki smirked, "Well…dressing up huh'? Don't tell me you found them…doing the 'naughty'? So soon after Arika breaks up with Mashiro and she's already over Nina!" Natsuki teased and ducked down to avoid being hit by the magazine Nao threw at her. "Shut up!" Nao screamed at her as she stormed over to the desk before there was a knock on the door. Natsuki smiled, "Come in."

Nina and Arika stepped in and found Nao's face flushed with anger. "Nao-chan, are you okay?" Nina asked concerned as she stepped over to her girlfriend, who quickly retreated. "I'm fine. I'll see you around," Nao said as she stepped around her and left the room. Natsuki turned to the girls, "Arika-chan, how are you feeling?"

Arika looked down with a frown, "Not good at all." Natsuki also frowned, "I'm sorry Arika…I know it must be hard for you…but I am in the need to remind you about your contract with the queen." Arika's head shot up as she realized she had forgotten about that. Her hand shot up to her gem in a reflex, "my contract…"

Natsuki nodded her head. "Yes Arika-chan. This is one of the reasons why it isn't always a good idea to be involved with one's meister, because when things like this happen, the contract is also affected."

Arika turned to Nina with pleading eyes. "Well…isn't there something that can be done? Arika-chan isn't ready to face Mashiro-sama again yet," Nina explained. "I'm afraid the contract cannot be broken unless both parties agree, therefore, the queen would have to agree to break the contract first," Natsuki replied as she leaned back onto her chair, "You need to go see her Arika-chan…"

Arika nodded her head and bowed before leaving the room with Nina on tow. "Are you going?" Nina asked as she walked beside the girl. "I don't think there's an alternative…" Arika said softly as she clenched her palm into a fist, knowing that she would have to face her again, not knowing if she would be able to control her feelings when she saw her.

-----------------------

Natsuki frowned and rubbed her temples as she spun in her chair to see through the large glass wall. '_Damn it. Why must I always be the one to give bad news? I wish Shizuru was here…she would make it all seem better…she always does.' _Natsuki smiled as she thought about her wife, who was currently away at her parent's house with the twins, but was coming back today. _'They should be here soon…' _Natsuki looked at the clock on the wall and begged for the time to go by faster.

Natsuki closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep until her telephone rang. Natsuki growled lowly and answered, "Yes?"

"Ano…principal…there is a man here to see you but he doesn't have an appointment." Natsuki rolled her eyes, _'My nap was interrupted for this?' _"Then tell him to make one, I'm really busy right now." Natsuki was about to hang up when the voice of her receptionist came back on again, "Principal, I tried but he insists. He says it's really important that he sees you." Natsuki let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine, let him in."

Natsuki straightened herself on her chair as a man entered. "Principal Kruger, thank you for taking your time to see me."

"Masashi Takeda-san? What brings you here?" Natsuki asked surprised, not expecting to ever see the man again. "Well, I was hoping I could take you out for lunch today?" Takeda asked with a gallant smile.

Natsuki smiled politely back, "Thank you for the invitation, but I'm afraid I can't, since I have a lot of work to do." Takeda frowned, "Oh really? I thought that since they were closing the school down you'd be free."

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched in anger, "They will NOT close down my school, Takeda-san," Natsuki walked around her desk towards him and pushed him towards the door rudely, "Now if you don't mind, I have work to do."

Takeda turned around and took the hand that was shoving him, making Natsuki stumble towards him and falling against him. Takeda smiled as Natsuki blushed red with anger. She started to get up and froze when the door opened, praying that it wasn't who she thought it was. This wasn't a situation she wanted to find herself in.

Unfortunately, no one listened to her prayer as Shizuru walked in pushing the stroller where the twins slept. Shizuru stopped through the doorway as she saw her wife in top of Masashi. She felt anger shake her through her very core and wanted to kill the man right then and there, but a glance to her children helped her calm down.

Natsuki quickly jumped off of Takeda and stumbled backwards as she saw Shizuru's eyes. "Shizuru…you're back…" Natsuki tried to smile but was unsuccessful when her wife threw her a glare that made a chill run down her back. Takeda kept grinning as he stood up and dusted off his pants. "Shizuru-san, I see you're back. It's a pleasure to see you." He extended his hand to Shizuru, who took it and shook it gracefully while giving him a cold smile. "I wish I could say the same for you Masashi-san. What brings you around here?" Shizuru asked coldly as her blood boiled through her veins. Natsuki looked on as her wife threatened to kill Takeda with her stare.

Takeda chuckled, "I came to invite Natsuki-chan to lunch." _'Natsuki-chan?!' _Shizuru's fist balled up as she prepared to strike him, but was stopped when Duri started to cry. Shizuru turned her attention to her daughter, sparing Takeda's life. Natsuki took Kiyo in her arms as the baby started to cry as well. Takeda's eyes widen in surprise as he now saw the babies clearly. He was amazed at the resemblance they had to the women, yet how they seemed like a perfect combination of both. He felt a pang of jealousy and anger as he realized who the children were. Although he already knew the answer, he decided to keep a little bit of hope as he asked, "Who are this lovely children? Your nieces?" Shizuru turned to him with Duri in her arms and laughed. "Nieces? Of course not. These are _our _children," Shizuru said making sure to emphasize the word 'our'. Takeda looked shocked towards Natsuki who beamed with a proud smiled as she nodded her head, "Yep. These are our two little angels."

Takeda's anger rose. "Well, isn't it sad?" He said as a smirk formed in his face. "Sad? Why?" Natsuki asked confused, while Shizuru's anger rose again as she heard him speak. "These lovely children are born into such…such life. And now they are going to be left without a home…I find it extremely sad don't you think?" Natsuki became enraged as she handed Kiyo to Shizuru before turning to Takeda. "It is NOT sad because THEY WILL NOT lose their home. I will make sure that Garderobe is not closed down. Now, leave before I call for you to be removed from the building."

Takeda shrugged as he turned towards the door. "You will regret this Natsuki-chan. You would've been off better with a real man like m-" Takeda was unable to finish his sentence as he was slammed onto the wall by Shizuru.

Natsuki turned stunned as she saw the twins back in the stroller. Her wife had materialized her robe and pinned Takeda to the wall as she held him by his collar. "It is _you _who will regret your words if you do not leave this instant," Shizuru spoke dangerously while wearing a threatening smile. Takeda was stunned and spoke through gritted teeth, "You…will…pay for this Viola…" Shizuru smiled as she took him off the wall and disappeared with him. Natsuki looked to the hallway as Shizuru flew to the exit while dragging him along.

"I do not want to see you anywhere near my wife or Garderobe again, understand?" Shizuru said as she dropped Takeda off a couple of feet from the ground outside the gate. She lowered herself and helped him up by his collar, pulling him close as she whispered to his ear, "You better be glad I pity you, or else, I would break every bone in your body until you took back your words." Shizuru released him and smiled, "Sayonara, Masashi-san."

Takeda's hands shook from the anger of not being able to do anything. Although he had not been really hurt, his pride had been harmed…greatly. He looked on to the retreating figure of Viola, a wicked grin forming on his face, _'I will make you regret this. You have no idea…'_

-----------------------

"Mashiro-sama," Aoi said as she entered the office where Mashiro sat looking out a large bay window that overlooked the garden. Aoi had convinced the queen to pull herself together and do some work, but she was unable to concentrate when all that was on her mind was Arika.

"Yes Aoi?" Mashiro asked without turning around. "Arika-san is here to see you," Mashiro spun around quickly and she stood from the chair as a smile formed in her face. "Arika?! Hurry Aoi! Make her come in."

Aoi nodded and left the room. A few seconds after that Arika stepped into the large office.

Nina stood outside waiting with Aoi, since she thought it would be better for Arika to speak with Mashiro alone. "How's Chie-san doing?" Nina asked as she tried to make conversation to avoid being nervous for Arika. "She's doing fine, thank you for asking," Aoi replied with a smile, "she's actually over at Aries with the Delta force to do routine training."

"That's nice. I bet you miss her right?" Aoi smiled and nodded, "More than I thought possible. And actually…" Aoi blushed as she continued, "Chie and I have decided that we would start the process to have a child once she gets back."

Nina smiled with a wide grin, "Really?! I'm so happy for you!" Nina stepped over and hugged Aoi. "Thank you," Aoi replied with a smile of her own.

Arika stepped into the office with her eyes glued to the ceramic tile that adorned the floor. She looked up when she heard steps coming towards her but was too late as Mashiro took her in an embrace. Arika felt a mixture of emotions wash through her as she melted into the embrace slowly. This felt so…so right for her. She knew this was how things were supposed to be. She tried to return the hug but pulled back violently as she recalled last night. The way Mashiro had openly denied their relationship as if it had never existed to being with. She had denied her. The love of her life had denied her own existence, for she could not exist if it did not involve loving her.

Mashiro was shocked when Arika pulled back. Tears that she had controlled earlier came back flooding her eyes. She had thought it would all be alright, that Arika would forgive her. Now she realized how wrong she had been. "Arika…" Mashiro tried to grab the girl's hand but Arika pulled back and decided to get it over with before her feelings overtook her reasoning.

"I want to end our contract…" Arika said as she looked deep into the other girl's eyes, feeling guilt when she saw pain in them, _'She made me feel pain too…remember Arika…she doesn't love you…' _Arika thought as she continued, "I don't want to be your Otome anymore…"

Mashiro felt like the whole world had come crashing atop of her. She could not believe what she had just heard. Did Arika really say she wanted to end the contract? That would break all ties between them…

Mashiro felt her legs quiver below her, threatening to give up. She walked back to her desk and sat on her chair, spinning it around to avoid seeing Arika. She didn't want to seem weak in front her. "Is…is that what you really want?" Mashiro asked carefully, afraid of the known answer.

"Yes," Arika replied as she felt tears roll down her face. "The principal said you have to end it willingly…so give me your ring." Arika said as she stepped to the desk. Mashiro turned around surprised to see tears in Arika's face. _'I will not keep you unhappy…' _Mashiro removed her meister ring and extended her hand towards Arika.

Arika took it from her hand slowly, lavishing the feeling of Mashiro's hand over her own. _'Remember…she denied you…'_ Arika quickly pulled back and bowed before leaving quickly.

Mashiro turned to the window as her control gave up. She stared blankly outside as she felt her soul having been shred to pieces. She regretted her words more than anything she had ever regretted in her life. She knew it was her fault that she had lost the most important thing for her. _'I lost my love by my own fault…'_

**A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. I want to thank all of you for all the reviews I have received for this story (and the other one too.) I am overwhelmed by how many people are liking this story. I am also glad to see so many people hate Tate too :D He's an asshole :p and I am glad to be able to contribute to that lol. Well, sorry for the long time it took me to update this, it usually doesn't take this long. Also, I have decided where I want to take the story, and as a warning, it's going to be quite…dramatic :D and it will involve some heavy action. (Not that kind ;D…or maybe :D )**

**Thank you all again for the reviews and please keep reviewing if you can :D**

_Next Chapter: Takeda gets his revenge._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Believing**

**5.**

"So…when are you coming back?" Nina asked as she sat with Arika on a bench at the harbor as Arika waited for her call. It was early morning and there were not many people there besides them. " I don't know…I think I'll just take a few weeks off to clear my mind." Arika replied as she folded her ticket over and over again, "I…I might not come back at all…"

"What?! Why? You can't say that Arika!" Nina said turning fully to the girl. "Well Nina-chan, if they close down Garderobe, what I am going to do?" Arika answered. "Well…I don't think they'll close it, but sincerely," Nina said as she looked deep into Arika's eyes, "I think you're being a bit selfish. Okay…she denied your relationship, but you know she loves you and you love her too. Why can't you just work it out?"

Arika shot up from the bench and stood right in front of Nina, "Selfish?!" Arika asked loudly as tears pooled around her eyes, "Arika…I'm sorry." Nina said as she tried to sit the other girl, who just pulled back. "I'm not selfish Nina, at first it was because she denied me, but I love her like I have never loved anyone in my life, that's why I'm leaving." Arika said as she sat on the bench sobbing.

"Then if you love her, why leave?" Nina asked as she rubbed the girl's back to calm her. "Because our relationship puts her throne in jeopardy. Being queen is more than a title to Mashiro. It is who she is, she was born for it and she is perfect for it. I don't want to be the reason she loses it…" Arika explained softly.

She had been hurt by Mashiro but she loved her too much to not forgive her, yet it was because of that love that she had to go before something worst happened. That night she had seen the disapproval in the faces of people, and Arika knew that Mashiro could lose her throne because of that. She didn't want Mashiro to lose the most important thing for her and although Arika knew it was painful for both of them, she thought it was the best thing for them in the long run.

Nina hugged Arika tightly, "I'm sorry Arika. I misunderstood your reasons. You really do love her…you are so brave to sacrifice your love and happiness for her own."

"_Ship Number 7 Is Ready To Leave. Please Aboard Now and Have Your Tickets Ready. Thank You And Have A Good Trip."_

Nina released Arika at the sound of the intercom that announced her departure. "Well, this is goodbye…" Arika said as she grabbed her suitcase. "No Arika, this is not goodbye." Nina said as she hugged her one more time, "See you later."

Arika smiled, "See you later Nina-chan."

-----------------------

Takeda walked down a long corridor dimly lit until he reached a large door. He opened it without knocking and took a seat across the large desk that stood in the middle of the room. "So, has he called?" he asked.

"Takeda-kun, well hello to you too." Tate said to Takeda as he spun around in his chair to face him, "To answer your question, yes he has."

A small smile spread through Takeda's lips. "Really? That's great. Well, did you get the council votes?"

"Of course, if not he wouldn't have called me." Tate said as he handed a folder to Takeda. He opened it and smiled brightly at the document that was signed with the council symbol. Takeda read it quickly and

laughed, "Tate! How did you manage this?"

Tate laughed as well, "Well, I made some minor changes, but they won't notice until it's too late," he answered as an evil smirk formed in his face. "Well, I must congratulate you, everything is going according to plan." Takeda said as he returned the folder.

"Thank you Takeda-kun, but this is just the beginning, we cannot claim victory just yet, for it would be foolish of us, don't you think?" Takeda smirked, "You're correct, but I do believe we're pretty close, so how about we carry the next step out, my master?" Takeda said with a hint of sarcasm as he bowed down to Tate.

"Not yet, Takeda-kun, not yet, but pretty soon, that will be the title which you will use to address me," Tate said with a smile. "Don't forget me, Tate," Takeda replied.

"Of course not Takeda-kun. How could I?" Tate said as he walked out of his office with Takeda following close behind him.

Tate and Takeda walked towards a pair of large double doors that stood at the end of the hall. Tate walked to a scanner that was placed on the right side of the door, producing a card which he scanned, granting him access. The doors opened sideways with ease as they stepped inside.

"Is everything finalized Dr. Koen?" Tate asked a man who stood in front of large monitors accompanied by others in white robes. "Yes Yuuichi-san, we have tested everything and it all seems in working order," answered the doctor as he handed Tate a metal case.

"It seems? I don't pay you and your team to make things "seem" like they work," Tate said annoyed as he opened the case revealing tubes with a purple substance that seem to glitter in the light.

"Well, Yuuichi-san, like we told you, there is no definite way to stop an Otome with this, so this will only work for a short time until the nano-machines in their bodies reboot. This is basically like an EMP, but for their bodies," The scientist in question answered nervously as his colleagues nodded readily in agreement.

"Whatever. You better hope this gives us enough time to translate them here. Are the holding chambers ready?" The doctor nodded, "Yes Yuuichi-san, we have designed them to be indestructible."

Tate grinned, "I'm glad to hear that, now go and equip my soldiers with this," Tate ordered handing back the metal case, "We will proceed as planned."

-----------------------

"Hello Natsuki, ready for lunch?" Shizuru asked as she walked into the principal's office carrying a tray with lunch for both of them. "Huh'?" Natsuki said as she looked up from her desk that was flooded with papers, she looked around Shizuru seeing something missing, "Where are the kids?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind but since I took them with me when I went to the palace, Aoi-san begged me to let her baby-sit them since she had a free day, so I did." Shizuru replied as she sat the food on the small table. "Oh, that's fine then, Aoi-san is great with them, I'm not worried," Natsuki answered but her face showed stress which did not go unnoticed by her wife. "Is something wrong, Natsuki?" Shizuru inquired from her wife as she saw the expression she wore. "Well, I can't find Arika." Natsuki replied as she stood from her desk and walked over to the sofa with Shizuru.

"I see…so she hasn't returned?" Shizuru asked as she handed Natsuki a cup of tea. "No, she went to the palace yesterday to break the contract and get her Meister ring, but she hasn't come in to return it until we find her a new Meister," Natsuki said worriedly. She did not like the idea of Arika running around with a

Meister ring and her GEM, possibly forming a new contract with a stranger. Natsuki did not like that idea at all.

"Did you happen to see her at the palace?" Natsuki asked, knowing that Shizuru had taken Chie to the palace to inform Mashiro that she would be her temporary Otome until a new permanent one was found. "No, I didn't see her there." Shizuru replied, handing Natsuki her lunch. "Have you tried contacting Nina?"

"Of course!" Natsuki exclaimed as she shoot up from her seat, "Nina-chan was with her! She should know where she is, I'm gonna call her right now." Natsuki started to move towards her desk but was pulled back when Shizuru grabbed her from behind , making Natsuki trip backwards and fall on Shizuru's lap.

"Shizuru! What are you doing? I have to make a call. Didn't you just hear what I said?" Natsuki said as she tried to squirm free from Shizuru's grip. "Ara, can't you make that call later? Nina-chan isn't going anywhere, so why don't you dedicate a little time to me?" Shizuru said as she laid Natsuki down on the sofa and straddled her. "Shi…Shizuru…Can't you wait until I'm done with work?" Natsuki asked nervously as she felt hands traveling downwards. Shizuru lowered her head and whispered hotly in her wife's ear, "Not really…" Natsuki gasped as she felt Shizuru's cold hand against her. Shizuru raised her face as she looked onto her wife's face with a smirk, "and I have a feeling that you can't wait either…"

-----------------------

Nina walked towards the school dorms when she spotted Nao sitting on a bench in the garden. She walked towards the redhead and took a seat besides her. She wasn't sure why, but Nao seemed to be mad for some reason, and she wanted to know why.

"Hey." Nao turned to her but quickly returned her gaze to the ground. "Hi. Where you been? I was looking for you this morning…"

"I'm sorry Nao. I was with Arika," Nina explained, but before she could continue, Nao cut in, "Of course, it figures!" Nao said as she stood from the bench, "I can't believe this Nina. She just broke up with Mashiro and you're already playing as her rebound?" Nao turned to leave but was stopped when Nina grabbed her arm, "Wait Nao! What are you talking about?" Nina asked on the verge of tears, Nao had never spoken to her like that.

Nao laughed sarcastically, "You don't know what I'm talking about? Come on Nina, you think I'm that stupid that you can fool me? I know Arika always had the "hots" for you, but I never thought you'd do this to me…" Nao turned her face away to avoid Nina from seeing the tears that glazed her eyes.

"Nao…you don't understand. I would never do that do you. Arika loves Mashiro-sama, and I love you," Nina replied as she pulled the older girl into a hug. "Nina…" Nao spoke through muffled sobs as she hugged her back.

Nina pulled back slightly to look deep into the Nao's emerald eyes. "I was with Arika at the harbor this morning. She left Windbloom to put some distance and hopefully get better after what happened with Mashiro-sama. She's my best friend and I love her but, you're my girlfriend Nao…and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"I'm so sorry Nina! I didn't trust you enough. It's just that I've never been in love like this, and I was so scared to lose you!" Nao said as she cried in Nina's arms. "You'll never lose me Nao, never…" They stayed like that until Nao calmed down as they held each other closely in the bench.

Their moment of peace was interrupted when a student came running towards them. "Nao-sempai! Nina-sempai!" Nao rolled her eyes, annoyed that her moment was interrupted. "What is it Yumi?" Nina asked with concern when she looked at the girl's scared expression.

"There are some men at the door that request entry. We tried to stop them but they request to see the principal this instant," Yumi explained quickly, "and they have guns!"

"Guns? Let's see what they want. It's Kruger's lunchtime with Shizuru-san, and I know from past experience that they do not like being disturbed." Nao said as she started toward the main gate with Nina and Yumi following close behind.

"What do you want?" Nao asked rudely as she recognized Yuuichi as the man who had ruined the night at the banquet with his stupid, anti-otome speech.

"We need to see the principal, so stop blocking our way." Tate said in an annoyed tone as he looked around seeing a large body of students blocking the entrance.

"Nao-sempai, we have orders from Viola-san that we cannot let Masashi-san or his company into the school grounds if they came here." Yumi explained nervously. "I see…" Nao said and turned to Tate, "Well, you see, you're not welcome, so goodbye."

"Nao? Could you possibly be Juliet Nao Zhang? The Fourth Column?" Tate asked with a smirk forming in his face. Nao's eyebrow raised in confusion, "Yes, why?" she asked.

"Juliet Zhang, you are now under arrest," Tate said as he motioned for his soldiers to grab her. "What?! What the hell are you doing?" Nao asked as she pushed the soldiers away easily.

"We have a Council Order to take under custody all the columns and any other Otome that get in our way of repossessing Garderobe," Tate said as he held up the document to Nao's face, pulling it away before she could snatch it.

"What the hell? Repossessing Garderobe? Are you out of your mind? You can't "repossess" something that isn't yours, idiot!" Nao yelled to him as she materialized her robe, "and if you don't leave right now, I will hurt you so bad you won't wake up for month!"

"You leave us no option Zhang-san," Tate said with a calm look as he motioned for a soldier to shoot. Nao saw this and launched herself at the soldier but dropped to the ground as a shot was fired.

"Nao!" Nina screamed as she ran to Nao's limp body that laid on the ground, her robe had dematerialized as soon as she had hit ground. "What have you done to her?!" she asked looking up to Tate as she cradled Nao in her arms. "She isn't hurt, she has just been knocked unconscious for a few hours," Tate explained and then turned to his men, "Take her."

"No!" Nina pushed away the man that were trying to take her body without any luck, as she herself was also shot and fell limp atop Nao.

Tate grinned as the soldiers picked up the Otomes and placed them in the large vehicle, "Now where is the principal?"

-----------------------

Natsuki and Shizuru had just come out of the shower and were now fully dressed. Shizuru walked over to pick up the remnants from lunch as Natsuki tried calling Nina. "She's not answering…" Natsuki said with a frown as she walked towards her desk, stopping midway as she looked out the large window.

"What is it Natsuki?" Shizuru asked when she saw Natsuki stop mid stride. She walked beside Natsuki and saw the large group of students that had congregated beside the gate along with a group of men in dark-clad suits who carried weapons. "Natsu-" Shizuru stopped as she turned and followed Natsuki who had stormed out of the room in a flash.

"What is going on here?!" Natsuki asked and was surprised as her gaze turned to see a soldier place Nina inside the large armored vehicle.

"Principal Kruger, I'm glad you have finally joined us," Tate said with a smirk. Shizuru looked to the man standing at his side as her blood boiled with anger. "Masashi-san, I do believe I warned you about coming here," Shizuru said bitterly.

"I am not here for _pleasurable_ reasons, Viola-san," Takeda answered, making Shizuru even madder. Natsuki walked towards the vehicle but was stopped by the soldiers guarding it. She pushed them off and saw Nao laying limp against the floor with Nina at her side in the same condition.

"What have you done to them?" Natsuki asked in fury. Tate walked towards her wearing a grin that annoyed Natsuki to no end, "We are here to take possession of Garderobe, and we are also here to arrest you," he said as he handed her the folder containing the order.

Natsuki's eyebrow twitched at his words as she took the document. She scanned it and dropped it to the ground with force, "You can't do this, those are not legal charges," she said, materializing her robe but was unable to even move when she was shot from behind.

Shizuru's eye's widened in shock as she saw Natsuki fall to the ground, but she ran and caught her before she could hit it. "Natsuki!" Shizuru said trying to wake her wife up.

"It's no use Viola-san, she will be unconscious for a few hours, but how about you join her?" Takeda said as he took a pistol from one of the soldiers and pointed at Shizuru. She did not flinch as he pulled the trigger and only held to Natsuki tighter as the substance traveled through her body making her fall unconscious within seconds.

The students screamed in horror as they saw how their precious Shizuru-oneesama and the principal were taken down easily along with Nao and Nina. Some tried to attack the soldiers but were quickly knocked out by the older men, not being a match for them without their robes.

"Okay," Tate said turning to his men, "Take care of the rest of the students and begin preparations." The gates were opened by the soldiers as many vehicles started rolling in towards the school and the vehicle carrying the Otomes left hastily.

-----------------------

"Yohko-sensei! We have lost contact with Principal Kruger, Shizuru-san, Nao-san, and Nina-chan!" Irina exclaimed surprised as she saw the GEM locator flashing warnings.

"What? What do you mean?" Yohko asked as she ran to the monitor and was shocked when she saw the last vital signs recorded being too low for a normal otome. "The vitals are at a level that show shock or unconsciousness," Irina said as she too saw the record, "Or both…Gal-sensei" Yohko said as she turned to the cyborg, "Can you run a wider scan?" The cyborg nodded and started the scan which showed a brief connection but it was gone as quickly as it came. "No luck," Gal said but looked up quickly to the entrance when the doors opened and a group of soldiers came rushing in.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Yohko asked as the men stood to the side to allow entrance to Yuuichi and a group of scientist that followed him inside. "Helene-san! It's a pleasure to meet you," Tate said gallantly as he walked towards Yohko, "Who are you and why are you here?" Yohko asked as Gal stood in front between them prepared to attack. Tate smiled looking at the cyborg before answering Yohko, "That's a cute toy, but I don't have time to play. You must evacuate this place immediately."

"What? I can't leave. I work here!" Yohko said as she saw the scientist that came with Tate go around her and starting to set up equipment. "No Helene-san. You no longer work here since Garderobe is no longer under independent power. Now _I _rule this place, so please take your student and your toy along with you as well."

"What did you do to Principal Kruger and the others?" Yohko asked when she realized he had something to do with them. "Oh, I see you know…well then I can't have you running around telling others can I?" Tate said and motioned for his soldiers to take her, "Hope you and your friends enjoy your stay," Tate said with a smirk as the soldiers took them away. Gal was about to attack but Yohko nodded her head signaling her to stop when she saw how greatly they were outnumbered.

"Okay, go ahead and set up. I need you to cut the Otome power supply immediately. Also, begin preparing my elite force as soon as possible. We cannot waste time, I want to start immediately," Tate ordered as he left. He entered the principal's office and took a seat on the chair behind the desk while Takeda sat across from him.

"Well? Call him already! He said he would tell you the next step once we took over right?" Takeda said motioning to the phone. "Patience Takeda-kun, I'm calling him." Tate replied as he grabbed the phone and waited until he spoke up. "Artai-san? Yes, we are already in," Tate said as he spoke to the receiver, "Okay…but can't you just tell me how?….Okay…We will wait here…" Tate hung up with a sigh.

"What?" Takeda asked seeing the annoyed look in his friend's face. "He said he will come here himself," Tate replied, "Himself? Isn't he still in prison?" Takeda asked confused.

"Yes, but he said that once the otome power supply was cut off, his men would pick him up, since there would be no one to stop him this time," Tate replied as he stood up and walked to the window as he saw his soldiers herding groups of students towards the school. There they would be held off in their rooms, making sure nobody left.

Tate smiled as he looked on proudly at his work. Without a power supply, the Otomes would be defenseless as they continued with their plan, and now there would be nobody stopping them. _'Nobody will stop me now…Nobody."_

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I hope the wait was worth it. I don't know how often I will update now because I'm starting school this week, but I will try to update ASAP, probably no more than two weeks wait, and hopefully soon I can get used to the new schedule and update more frequently. Thank you so much for reading and for all the reviews and everything. Please review if you can :D**

**Thank You :D **

_Next Chapter: Tate Yuuichi takes over, is there anybody left to stop him?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Believing**

**6.**

"Ugh…" Shizuru woke up with a throbbing pain throughout her body. Slowly opening her eyes and adjusting them to the darkness around her, she tried to move but felt a tug around her wrist. She looked up and pulled again but with greater force, which caused her to receive a shock that ran throughout her body, worsening the already present pain. "Argh…" she growled lowly through her teeth at the pain, "Shi…Shizuru?" She snapped her head up at the sound of Natsuki's voice, "Natsuki?! Where are you?"

Natsuki's heart filled with joy when she heard her wife, "Shizuru! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Don't move! This things have high voltages in them, they will hurt you if you pull!" Natsuki warned her wife, having woken up before her, she had already tried to escape but had suffered the same fate Shizuru did.

"I know Natsuki, don't worry. I'm okay, are you okay?" Shizuru spoke nervously as she looked around not being able to see Natsuki through the dark. "I'm fine…but where are we? I can't see anything and my robe won't work…" Natsuki replied worriedly as she also thought of the children but knew that they were safe in the palace, _'But how long will they remain safe if we can't protect them against Yuuichi…' _Fear stroke Natsuki as she thought of the danger her twins could be in.

"Damn it Natsuki, to be a principal you really ask stupid questions…" Nao's voice spoke up through the dark chamber. She had quickly grown tired after hearing a few exchanges between the two woman, "How do you expect Shizuru-san to know where we are if she is in the same position as you? Don't be stupid…"

"Nao-san! I'm glad you're okay." Shizuru said when she heard the red headed Otome speak in an annoyed tone to Natsuki. "What happened to us? I thought we were the "all-mighty-indestructible-otomes" of the world. What did they do to us to take us down so easily? I didn't even get a chance to attack those bastards," Nao asked as she recalled the way she and Nina were taken down. She had not heard Nina but since Shizuru had just awoken, she thought she was probably still unconscious.

"It seems like they used some kind of weapon that caused the nano-machines in our bodies to shut down completely, leaving us unconscious for a period of time, but I don't know how long we've been here," Nao kept her eyes closed and only heard the voices, since it did no good having her eyes open in the dark, and unknown to everybody, she had a strong fear of the dark.

"It's true, in this darkness, who knows if it's day or night, if a week or a day has passed…" Natsuki added to Shizuru's explanation, "We must be out of range if the GEMs don't work, and that can't happen anywhere in Earl, since the system covers everything."

"Which means were either really deep underground…or the system has been taken down…" Shizuru said as she realized Yuuichi's plan. "Natsuki! Yuuichi has probably shut down the whole system leaving all the Otome's defenseless!"

Natsuki gritted her teeth as the thought of the implications that would have. She had little time to think when the lights suddenly turned on in a bright flash that illuminated the large chamber. Natsuki's eyes quickly adjusted as she looked around and saw that they were each in individual cells, with Shizuru's cell being across from hers and Nao's besides Shizuru's. She looked to her right and saw that Nina was still unconscious.

"Nina!" Nao screamed as she saw her love still unconscious and sitting against the frigid wall. "Look. That one's still unconscious, we can try it with her first…" The three otome turned to see a man in a white robe walk up towards Nina's cell with two large men following behind him.

"Get away from her you bastards! Don't you dare touch her or I will cut your fucking head off!" Nao threatened in panic as she saw them going in and taking Nina as the completely ignored her. "Where are you taking her?!" Natsuki asked but was ignored as well. Both Shizuru and Natsuki turned to Nao as they heard screams of agony as she pulled on the bracelets that kept her against the wall, "Nao! Don't do that! You're hurting yourself!" Natsuki called her friend who didn't stop pulling until the pain was too unbearable for her to take. She fell limply as tears rolled down her eyes, "Nina…" she said softly through her sobs.

-----------------------

"Queen Mashiro!" Chie exclaimed in pure shock as she ran into the queen's office where she stood staring silently onto the document that laid before her, "We have just received news that Garderobe has been taken over and one of our informants says that they also took some of the Otomes captive!"

Mashiro looked up to see Chie as she realized the severity of her words. She stood and walked towards her otome, "Materialize and see what's going on, but don't engage," Chie nodded and lowered herself so that Mashiro could activate her GEM, except this time, it did not grow warm as it usually did when it was activated. She tried to materialize but failed every time. "What's going on?" asked Mashiro as she saw Chie's frustrated look. "I don't know…It seems like the server is down…"

Mashiro's eyebrow's furrowed in frustration as she thought of other ways to take action, "Very well, then take some guards with you and find out what's going on. As I said before, do not engage."

"Hai." Chie saluted and left. Running through the hallway she looked for the captain of Windbloom's guards, Sakomizu Cardinal, so that she could depart for Garderobe as soon as possible. She was really worried about her comrades and feared the worst. As she ran she stopped in her tracks when she heard some screams coming from the court. She looked through a window and her eyes widened in shock once more as she saw dark figures taking out the guards with quick and easy movements.

Chie felt a shiver run down her spine as she saw the dark figures defeat all of the guards and coming inside quickly. She turned and ran towards the room where Aoi was with the children, "Aoi!" she screamed as she bursted into the room and saw her playing with the Kruger Viola twins, "Get the twins and come with me, the palace is being invaded. I need to get you to a safe place." Aoi did not quite understand what was going on but she trusted Chie with her life, so she quickly gathered the kids and gave one to Chie as they ran hand in hand though the palace down to the lower levels.

"Here, stay here and don't come out," Chie said as she opened a chamber that was hidden away within the wall. "What about you Chie?" Aoi asked worriedly as she entered the chamber with the twins, "I have to go and protect the queen with all I have, I am her Otome after all," Chie said as she kissed Aoi one more time, "I love you," Aoi said as Chie closed the large stone door, "I love you too," Chie replied as the wall fell back into place and kept the chamber hidden.

Chie ran back upstairs towards Mashiro's office but stopped when she came across two of the dark figures the closely resembled the valkryes, but this seemed much larger, "Who are you and what do you want?!" Chie asked as she got in to a fighting stance, although she had little possibility against her two opponents, she had to try.

One of the figures chuckled and answered in a deep voice, revealing his gender underneath the suit that covered him completely, "We don't answer to you," Chie did not even see the figure move until she felt a sharp pain in her stomach as she was thrown back into the wall.

"Argh…" Chie gritted through her teeth as she swiped away blood from her mouth. 'What are you?" She asked as she rose up and tried moving towards them but was unable to as she felt strong, gloved hands take her by the neck and raise her up until her feet no longer touched the ground.

"We…we are better than you. And I'm guessing you are Chie Hallard. We better take you with us just in case the queen thinks she has any hope," Chie was placed down on the ground once more and dragged away by her collar.

Mashiro stood behind her desk with several soldiers guarding her as the door to her office swung open and two soldiers walked in as they dragged Chie behind them. "Mashiro Blan de Windbloom, we have a present for you from our leader," the soldier said as he swung Chie towards the desk with great force, making her body break through the desk easily.

"Chie-san!" Mashiro ran towards the Otome, "Ma…Mashiro-sama…" Chie tried to speak but struggled as blood kept flowing out from her wounds and her mouth, "I'm sorry…" she could no longer remain conscious and fell back as she felt all her strength leave her body.

Mashiro turned to the invaders, "What do you want?" she asked but in exchange she received a laugh from the soldiers, "What we want? Nothing, but he does," the soldiers moved aside as Yuuichi walked into the office, "Yuuichi Tate…" Mashiro's blood boiled when she recognized the man, it was part his fault that she was put on the stop and denied Arika. It was because of him she had lost the love of her life. "Attack!" Mashiro ordered the guards without hesitation and without waiting for him to say anything. Tate just chuckled as his soldiers quickly took down the foolish guards with ease.

"Queen, where are your manners?" Mashiro heard Tate ask as she looked at her guard's lifeless bodies lying on the floor. "A young lady without manners is not fit to be queen, so I will relieve you of your duty Mashiro-san," Tate said as he moved to take the chair behind the broken desk. "Take her away," Tate ordered and the soldiers did as ordered without meeting any resistance from Mashiro. She was at a loss of words and knew she had nothing left to save her, she said and did nothing as she was taken away to the underground cells that were built there when the palace was first built by the original patriarchs. The soldiers threw her onto a cell and left promptly.

After years of working hard to build a proper character fit for a queen, Mashiro slipped out of herself as she cuddled into a corner of the dark cell and whimpered silently as tears rolled from her face. She needed Arika now more than ever, yet she had driven her away and now she was lost. It was over.

----------------------

_**=CLICK=**_

Nao, Natsuki, and Shizuru all fell down to the cold floor with a thud after they heard a sound coming from their bracelets.

"What's going on?" Natsuki asked as she stood up and rubbed her wrists that were swelling up from the bracelets that held them up against the wall. "Natsuki!" Shizuru said as she ran to her, embracing her in a tight hug and started sobbing.

"It's okay Shizuru. I don't know what happened but we'll get out of here okay? I promise," Natsuki said comfortingly as she lovingly rubbed her wife's back to calm her down. Shizuru looked up at Natsuki's smiling face and nodded, "Okay."

The two turned to Nao who kept crying against the wall. Natsuki walked towards her and kneeled down to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Nao, we have to try to get out of here, maybe their system failed and freed us. We must take this opportunity while we can," Nao looked up to her as she wiped away her own tears and stood up, "Let's go, We need to find Nina," she said as she walked towards the exit but froze as the door opened to reveal Nina.

"Nina!" Nao did not hesitate to embrace the girl in a hug but felt shocked as she was thrown to the other side of the room, making her crash against the hard wall. "Nao!" Natsuki ran towards her fallen friend who laid against the broken wall and looked on to Nina in shock, "That…that can't be her…" Nao said as Natsuki helped her stand up, "I don't know what's wrong with her but -" Natsuki was interrupted when she heard Shizuru scream her name and saw Nina launching herself against her but was thrown to the side as she was intercepted by Shizuru.

Shizuru struggled to fight Nina as she straddled her to keep her down but found it hard to keep her down, as it seemed her strength had been enhanced to a level that surpassed even one who wore a robe. "Nina…what is going…on?" She asked the girl whose eye's seemed to be out of focus as if she were in a different world. Shizuru did not receive an answer as she was pushed off by the younger girl easily, making her rip through the cell's wall.

Without warning, Nina attacked Natsuki and left her unconscious like Shizuru. Nao tried getting up but felt an extreme sharp pain against her leg that told her it was broken. Nina walked towards her in a zombie-like state and was ready to attack but stopped immediately when a voice was heard that said: **"STOP" **loudly over the intercom.

Nina did as ordered and Nao watched as a couple of men came in and placed both Natsuki and Shizuru back in the cells with the holding bracelets on again before moving towards her. She was also placed back on a cell without regards for her injured leg since they knew her nano-machines would soon start repairing it.

"What have you done to her?!" Nao asked in pure fury but received a small laugh from one of the men, "Let's just say that you were the guinea pigs to our little experiment," one of them said as they took Nina and led her outside of the room. Nao felt a mixture of fear and anger run through her body as she saw her comrades and herself defeated. She was never one to give up hope, but she now felt it running dangerously low.

----------------------

Mashiro looked up from her corner in the dark cell when she heard a soft scratching sound that was prominent from the wall. She tried to focus her sight and smiled in joy as she saw Aoi emerge from a hidden room along the wall with the Principal's children with her.

"Aoi!" Aoi turned at the sound of her name and saw the queen standing up and walking towards the door of the cell, "Get me out of her please," Mashiro begged as her body tempted to break down again as she held herself against the cold bars.

Aoi nodded and quickly took out her keychain that held a master key to the whole palace. Mashiro stumbled out as soon as Aoi opened the cell and fell to her knees as she continued to sob, "Mashiro-sama…" Aoi tried to calm the young queen but it was to no avail, as the girl's cries continued on.

Mashiro could not believe that her whole life had been ruined in a matter of days. Her kingdom had been taken over, she was taken prisoner, but most importantly of all, she had lost the love of her life, Arika.

Aoi had set the children down on their carrier and was holding Mashiro but felt her stiffen when they heard sounds coming from the stairs, "Mashiro-sama, come," Aoi took the children and Mashiro and led them back to the hidden room quickly as they heard the steps getting closer. Luckily, both of the twins were sleeping, which made it easier for them to remain unnoticed.

----------------------

"Arika-chan, I really believe that it would be better for you to go back. You love Mashiro too much and she loves you back. You should not leave it like it, for this kind of love only comes once, and I am sure both of you can withstand the obstacles that come with it," Mai finished saying as Arika eyed her ramen without appetite. Mikoto nodded in agreement with Mai as she finished a fifth serving of her favorite food.

"A few years back when Mashiro was here, she was sad because you guys had fought, she's sad again," Mikoto said as she recalled the time a couple years back when Mashiro had come to Mai to ask her for advice, indirectly of course, since she had gotten in a fight with her Otome. Mai kept trying to get her to publicly admit that she and Arika were a couple, but the young queen thought that it was over between them and didn't see a point in it. Of course after the chaos caused by the orphans, the two girls got back together and realized just how important they were to each other.

"Mikoto is right. It's not that we don't want you here, because you know we love having you here, but we have seen how you been, and it's not good for you to be in such depression Arika." Mai was going to continue but stopped when somebody came running to them and screamed frantically, "Mai-san! Come see the television! It has just been announced that Garderobe and Windbloom have been taken over and a blonde man has taken power!"

The Cat-Goddess and the two Otomes ran to see what the commotion was about and widened their eyes in surprise when they recognized Yuuichi Tate speaking through the television and announcing his supreme rule.

----------------------

An hour before the announcement was to be broadcasted live through all of Earl's communication networks, Takeda stood in pure horror as he saw Nagi fall to his knees in front of Tate as blood gushed from his mouth and a wound he now had in his stomach.

"You…bastard…" Tate grinned maliciously at Nagi's stuttering words, "Please Nagi, did you really think I was going to let a kid like you run the show? You might have been close to success in the past, but you failed, and I can't have that happening again. I need you out of the picture so that _I _can keep control and order in _my_ kingdom."

Takeda watched in fear as Nagi's body stopped breathing as he laid lifelessly at Tate's feet. _'If he was willing to kill Nagi for power, what can I expect? Will he kill me too?' _

Tate turned to the desk and placed down the gun he had just killed Nagi with. He turned to his soldiers, "Go and make sure the broadcasting team is here. I need to be live within an hour understood?" His soldiers nodded and left to carry out his orders promptly. They had just witnessed his backstabbing act and although the soldiers were definitely stronger that Yuuichi, specially with their enhancements, they knew were they stood.

"Tate…" Tate turned to look at Takeda and smiled, "Don't worry Takeda-kun, it was part of my plan. We don't need that kid interfering with our rule. Don't you agree?"

Takeda nodded ,"I…I guess so…" Tate sat at the new desk he had ordered in the queen's office. "Well, If you can excuse me, but I have a speech to give and I need to be prepared," Takeda turned to leave at Tate's request, or _order, _it seemed to him due to what he had just seen, "Oh, and tell someone out there to clean up this mess. I don't want _my _office stinking up."

Takeda left and ordered some of the maids to clean up Tate's office. He felt a feeling of fear that he had never felt before. He knew his life was in danger and he needed a way to protect it. _'I'm sorry Tate…but it's me or you, and I rather it not be me…' _A wicked grin spread through Takeda's face as he walked towards his newly acquired quarters.

----------------------

Arika's knuckles turned white as her hand formed a fist when she heard Yuuichi. He announced his complete rule and his invincible army. Arika could not hold out any longer when he said he had gotten rid of the queen. She felt a cold shiver crawl down her spine at his words.

She turned and ran but was halted to a stop by Mai's hand, "You can't go. You are defenseless against them Arika…" Arika was about to pull away but Miyu's words were faster than her, "Let her go Mai-san. Do not interfere. This is what she must do."

Both Mai and Arika turned when they heard the android's cold voice. She walked towards them and took Arika's hand, "Come Arika-san, we must hurry."

Arika nodded and left with Miyu as Mai looked on with worry. She knew that Arika would be easily defeated without her robe, and she knew Arika would not stop even in the face of danger if Mashiro was in danger.

"Don't worry Mai…" Mikoto placed a loving hand on Mai's shoulder, "She's going to be okay. After all, It's time." Mai turned to face Mikoto and ask her what she meant but the goddess smiled and ran off with some of the cats.

'_It's time?…Time for what?'….._

**A/N: Here is the new chapter! I hope you guys liked it! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I was trying to get my ideas 'straight' (no pun intended :P) and I finally got it :D**

**Sorry if you find this chapter to be too angsty , but I promise you, next chapter is going to be AMAZING :P, or so I think :D**

**I know this might seem cliché and too like what happened in the mai otome anime, but believe me, it's going to have a huge turnaround next chapter. I bet none of you are expecting it ;)**

**Please review and show me some love :D**

**Love you all :D**

_Next Chapter: An ancient secret is revealed and Yuuichi faces his worst fear. The time for redemption has arrived!_


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Believing**

**7.**

"_**EMERGENCY STATE ACTIVATED. CHAMBER 7 HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED. SECURY BREACH DETECTED. ALL SECURY PERSONNEL REPORT TO STATIONS IMMEDIATELY."**_

"What the hell is going on?!" A man asked over the loud, repetitive message that was being broadcasted through the building's intercom system as red warning lights flared through the building.

"The system shows a disruption in chamber 7,Sir." answered a young woman who typed speedily on a mainframe computer, "The cameras are out of service along with out server. Seems like it was overloaded."

"Overloaded with what?!" The man did not get an answer from his subordinate when a guard came running towards him.

"Doctor, the chamber has been infiltrated. The prisoners are no longer there and the whole chamber has been destroyed." The doctor's eyes widened in surprise, "How did that happen? How come we were not warned of intruders?" he asked as his mind raced with possible explanations but ended with none.

"It must of have come from inside…" the woman said as she found the last recording from the security cameras and started playing it. "Oh my God…" The doctor could not believe what he was seeing and knew that this was definitely not part of the plan.

The doctor turned to his stunned employees who mirrored the way he felt. He walked down towards a table where Nina laid with different scanners attached to her body. "You," he said pointing to one of the scientist studying the Otome, "Disconnect her this minute. I need to send her out in a hunt this instant."

The scientist nodded as he started to prepare Nina for the assignment. The doctor's fear grew by the minute although he tried to keep a cool façade so that he would not alert his subordinates. He watched intently as Nina stood up and waited for his orders, "Wang, go look for Viola, Kruger, and Zhang and bring them back immediately."

Nina blinked idly as she turned and left without a word, but with a mission in mind.

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"Shit…" Natsuki opened her eyes but closed them immediately when the sun's rays hit brightly across her face, _'Sun? Where am I?'_ She turned to her side and attempted to push herself up with her arms but was pushed down when an unfamiliar weight draped over her. She was under a shadow that protected her from the sun as she opened her eyes and froze when she saw what was above her.

"Ahhh!" Shizuru's eyes snapped open when she heard Natsuki's scream and turned to see her wife scrambling underneath a creature that strongly resembled a wolf. Although her sides were in pain, she tried to stand up and run towards Natsuki but was surprised when she suddenly fell to the ground as if she had been on a higher platform after a few steps.

Turning her head, Shizuru panicked when she saw she had been lying atop the head of something that resembled a large snake. Before she could react, several snakes identical to the first one joined it and looked at Shizuru with curiosity, or so it seemed.

Natsuki ran towards Shizuru and latched herself onto her from behind without seeing the creature, as she tried to escape the dog that was following her like a lost puppy. She felt that Shizuru's body was incredibly tense and her own body shook in fear when she saw the large creature that Shizuru was staring at. The purple creature moved to reveal an even larger head that looked just like a squid.

"Shizuru…where are we? And what are they?" Natsuki asked but her words were lost to Shizuru who looked on with strange emotions towards the creature. It's eyes seemed to be sending her a message that she was still trying to decode when a loud shot was heard.

Both Otomes turned to see the wolf-like creature shooting at an unseen enemy with what appeared to be cannons that protruded from it's back. When the dust brought up from the projectiles cleared, Nina walked towards them seemingly unharmed. She gained speed quickly when she spotted both girls but the creature kept shooting at her intending to keep her away from the two woman.

"Natsuki, are you okay?" Shizuru asked as she realized who was latching onto her back. "What are they Shizuru?" Natsuki asked as she watched intently as the creature kept firing without success at keeping Nina at bay. Nina had some kind of robe on that allowed her to fly past the small creature, but before she could reach them, the purple creature dashed from behind them and captured Nina but it refrained from killing her.

"Look Shizuru…" Natsuki said softly as the creature turned towards them with Nina in grasp and looked towards Shizuru as if it were asking what to do next. The wolf-like creature ran towards Natsuki, eliciting a shocked scream from the girl when it rubbed against her legs whimpering like a puppy. She focused her eyes directly at the wolf's and felt as if she was sucked into a dark hole as a rush of emotions overcame her.

"Natsuki!" Shizuru turned just in time to catch Natsuki as she fell limp against her arms. Tears ran down Natsuki's pale face as she remembered.

'_Duran…Fuka…First District…Mother…Searss…Himes…The Carnival…Shizuru Fujino…Shizuru…'_

Natsuki's mind filled with memories of a past life and saw all the pain that she had gone through along with the love of her life. The one thing she was quickly able to realize, was that in all her past lives, Shizuru was always with her.

Shizuru saw a content smile appear through Natsuki's tear-filled face. Although she seemed to be unconscious, Shizuru was surprised when a soft sound escaped her wife's lips, "_Shizuru._'

Nina struggled against the large creature and freed herself when the creature lost resistance against her. Without thinking, she launched herself towards Shizuru and Natsuki but was surprised when she was pushed away from them, making her crash against a large tree.

"Nao!" Shizuru said as she looked up and saw Nao follow behind a creature that largely resembled a human-spider hybrid that had Nina against a tree.

"Shizuru, I don't know if you have your memories back, but it seems that Natsuki might be getting them back," Nao said as she pointed to Natsuki who still laid unconscious against Shizuru's lap.

"Memories?" Nao shook her head at Shizuru's question, "That's not important now, you'll get yours soon, now take Natsuki and your Childs and leave, they will do whatever you say. You must go back to Garderobe. I will take care of Nina."

'_Childs?' _Although Shizuru was not completely sure she understood what Nao was talking about, she decided against asking any more questions. She stood up and carried Natsuki in her arms as she started walking away but stopped when the purple creature got in her way. Trusting Nao, she stepped towards it and as if reading her mind, the hydra lowered one of it's heads as Shizuru stepped on it. Without need for words, the creature traveled to Shizuru's desired destination with the wolf-child following close behind.

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"What do you mean she is not there?!" Tate's shouts of anger rang through the office as his soldiers looked down ashamed after reporting the queen's disappearance.

"We went to check up on her like we were ordered but her cell was empty and no tampering was evident. She must have had a key of some sort." The soldier regretted speaking when Yuuichi's eyes pierced through him in fury, "You mean you didn't check her to see of she had a key with her?! You idiots!" The soldiers cringed at his words but were luckily dismissed by Takeda who decided it was enough.

"Tate, we will find her. She must be somewhere within the palace after all. I will send all the units available on a search for her, after all, how hard can it be to find a girl like her?" Takeda said trying to calm Yuuichi's rage.

"You're right Takeda-kun…we will find her…and this time I will make sure she doesn't escape…I'll make sure of that myself." Tate spoke maliciously as he returned to his seat with a smirk on his face.

-----------------------

"Aoi, what are we going to do?" Mashiro's soft voice was heard in the dark room as they attempted to remain silent after the commotion outside subsided. They had sat quietly as the soldiers went on a frenzy trying to look for her when they realized she was missing.

"I don't Mashiro-sama. It seems too dangerous to go out there now even more when they know you escaped. They are looking for you and who knows that they might do to us when they find us." Aoi said and turned to rub Duri's small head as she sleep deeply, "Besides, I have to make sure all three of you are safe."

"So basically we have no way out?" Mashiro asked as she walked towards the inner wall and leaned against it. As if answering a prayer, the wall collapsed dragging her along with it. Aoi ran to the queen who laid atop the rubble from the wall.

"Mashiro-sama!" Mashiro took Aoi's hand to pull herself up but stopped when her sight focused on what seemed a tunnel that had been exposed, "Look Aoi! An Exit!"

Aoi turned to see the tunnel and felt a chill of cool air coming from it, "Did you feel that?" Mashiro asked after having felt the same thing.

"If it's a tunnel, there shouldn't be an air current though, I don't think it's safe…" Mashiro did not listen to Aoi as she grabbed both kids and handed one to Aoi, "It's our only chance. Let's go."

A sigh escaped Aoi's lips as she found her hands tied to the queen's actions. She took Duri and followed the queen into the dark tunnel that was illuminated by what appeared to be electrical-powered lights.

-----------------------

"Ano…"

"Yes Arika-san?" Miyu asked when she heard the girl who rode with her through the sandy desert.

"What did you mean when you said that it was time?" Arika asked after a long period of silence that she and Miyu had grown accustomed to during the last hour of their trip.

"That is something that you will soon find out Arika-san." With a sigh, Arika turned the other way to watch the scenario that was unfolding as they got closer to Windbloom, knowing that she would not get any more information from Miyu.

-----------------------

"It's Garderobe!" Mashiro exclaimed with joy as they exited the tunnel and walked into the large forest that surrounded Garderobe. Aoi smiled with relief as they finally were able to find a way out, after following the dark place for a couple of miles.

"I'm exhausted…" Setting Kiyo down, Mashiro leaned against a tree whose foliage gave her enough shadow to protect her from the sun's rays. "Mashiro-sama, although I myself am also tired, I do not think this is the right time to relax. If we're in Garderobe, we are in even more danger now, since from what I heard, they took this as their headquarters," Aoi explained as she walked closer to the queen and took Kiyo, who had woken up during the walk through the tunnel and seemed quite upset from the change in ambient.

"I guess you're right…but where are we going now? We're stuck…" Mashiro said as she closed her eyes but was surprised when a heavy weight fell against her stomach, knocking the air out of her lungs, "Uhf…" Mashiro opened her eyes and found her cat, Mikoto, sitting atop of her.

"Mikoto! Where were you?" As if answering' Mashiro's question, the cat looked up to the tree where it jumped down from. "Up there? Well I'm so glad you're okay!" Mashiro hugged her cat, who purred contently after finding its master.

As Aoi watched with amusement at the queen's reunion with Mikoto, Kiyo started crying insatiately, which immediately alarmed some guards that were patrolling the outskirts of Garderobe. "Did you hear that?" One of them said as they turned to walk closer to the place where Aoi tried to calm Kiyo down, "Yes, It sounds like cries, let's go see what it is…"

Mashiro quickly stood up and took Duri as she followed Aoi deeper onto the forest until the soldiers could no longer be heard, "That was close…" the queen said as she tried to catch her breath after the short run.

As they calmed down, both froze in spot with the kids in their arms, as some rustling was heard coming from nearby trees. Neither had time to react when a large creature came up to them and went directly to Aoi, whom held Kiyo as she continued to cry endlessly, and sniffed her carefully, letting out a small whimper.

Both Aoi and Mashiro stood frozen in place as they feared the creature's next move. Aoi quickly jerked back with the child, but the wolf just moved to Duri in Mashiro's arm and procedded to sniff her out as well. Before either of them could do anything, the creature snapped it's head back to the place where it had jumped out from and ran back towards the figure of Shizuru and Natsuki who walked towards them.

"Pri..Principal Kruger! What is that…thing?!" Mashiro asked as she pointed at the wolf-like creature that came up to Natsuki, whom petted him as she smiled.

"Him?" Natsuki asked as she nodded to the wolf who ran to the queen and sniffed her, "That's Duran. He's like my guardian," Controlling the urge to laugh at Mashiro's petrified face, Natsuki walked to her and took Duri, whom not so surprisingly still slept through it all.

"Gu-Guardian?" Shizuru let out a small laugh, realizing too how bizarre such a thing seemed, and it would of seemed even weirder if she had not gotten back her memories as they traveled here atop Kiyohime. _'No wonder we were inclined to naming our kids with such names, if they have always been with us, repressed in our minds with our hidden memories…' _Shizuru had thought about their Childs when she had first been able to remember everything. Although past lives showed pain and suffering, she was happy to know that Natsuki had been with her, loving her through it all.

"Yes. We don't have time to explain everything right now, but you must know that they are our friends, and with them we should be able to defeat Yuuichi," Shizuru explained as Aoi walked to her and handed Kiyo to her, "They? Is there more than one?" Aoi questioned with surprise as she watched the creature gaze intently as Natsuki softly kissed Duri's soft cheek.

"That is right Aoi-san. So far, both Natsuki's and my child have manifested along with Nao-san's. It seems that they are a part of us, but only manifest when we are in the most dire need of them, and they know we can't survive without their help," Mashiro and Aoi both nodded as they took on the meaning of Shizuru's words, although it still seemed very complicated to them.

"Well, we can't stay and chit-chat any longer. Mashiro-sama, you and Aoi need to get out of here while Shizuru and I return to Garderobe," Natsuki said as she planned their next move to save Garderobe.

"What about the kids?" Aoi asked, concerned for the twin's safety. "Don't worry, I would never put my own kids in danger. They will be safe with us. Now go, before the guards return." Shizuru replied and before either could say anything, Natsuki and Shizuru left with the creature running behind them.

"Well, let's go Mashiro-sama," Aoi said taking Mashiro's hand but turned stunned when the young queen pulled her hand abruptly.

"I can't go. I have to return to the Palace. There is a room filled with weapons that I found a long time ago when I was playing hide-and-seek with Arika…" Mashiro felt a sting in her heart as she recalled the many times she and Arika would play around the castle like young kids, "…and if I can get a weapon…I can maybe kill Yuuichi…"

Aoi ran to the girl as a tear spilled from her eye, "Mashiro-sama…you can't kill anybody, not even Yuuichi, and I won't let you."

"But I have to get my kingdom back! I can't escape like a coward while my people suffer under his rule. I promised that I would be the best queen I could be, and running away is not what a good queen will do…" Mashiro ran back towards the tunnel where they had first arrived to Garderobe without letting Aoi catch up to her. Aoi tried calling her and stopping her, but she was too late as the queen disappeared in the darkness. Without slowing her pace, Aoi ran behind the young queen.

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"NINA!"

Nao's screams could be heard through the grassy plain where Julia struggled to keep the blue-haired girl in her grip, but the girl quickly escaped and attacked the creature, pushing her away and launching herself at Nao, who tried to keep the girl at bay without hurting her.

Nina grabbed the older girl by her throat, constricting her oxygen inflow and making her gasp for breath, "Ni…na…" Nao struggled from the grip and knew that she would not be able to free herself if she did not attack.

With pain heavy in her heart, she extended her arm as her element materialized and took a swipe at the girl, making her flinch and release her at once. Nina was thrown back as blood flowed down from the freshly opened cut that was now present across her stomach. "Nina!" Nao ran to her girlfriend's side as she held her carefully, trying not to hurt her more.

"I'm sorry…I had no other option…I'm sorry Nina…" Nao cried openly against the girl who laid across her lap unconscious. Julia stood behind Nao as she watched her master hold the young girl closely.

Nao had a sudden flash of memory as she recalled a story she had heard as a child, and without thinking how dumb it seemed, she leaned down towards Nina and planted a kiss onto her lips. At first, disturbed at the coldness from the girl's lips, she was surprised when Nina began to return the kiss.

"Nao…" Nina opened her eyes with a smile, but flinched as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. "Nina! I'm so sorry…"

"Sorry?…Why?" Nina moved her hand to her stomach where she found a warm substance covering her.

"You were…like not you…and you were going to kill me…I had to do something…please forgive me…" Nao tried to explain with tear-filled eyes what had happened but was unable when Nina pulled her back to another kiss.

"I don't remember what happened…" Nina said as she released Nao, "I just remember that I was with you and then I blacked out and after that…I don't remember anything…"

"It seems like they used some kind of mind-control on you, but that's not important now, we have to get you to a doctor," Nao stood up with Nina in her arms and walked off towards Windbloom, not knowing what she would find there, or who.

-----------------------

Arika hopped off Miyu's bike when they stopped in an alley close to the Palace. She started to run but was held back by Miyu, "Arika-san, there are guards all around the palace. You have no weapons and no defense. You will be eliminated at sight."

"I have to go. Mashiro needs me." Miyu nodded comprehensibly at Arika's words and said, "I will go with you, but stay close to me."

Both of them ran off toward the palace where they stayed hidden from view as they stealthy moved through the garden, as Miyu silently defeated any soldier in their way without making a disturbance that would cause alarm.

"Stay here Arika-san, I will go look for Mashiro-sama."

"Okay." Arika watched as Miyu flashed to the palace with speed that even an Otome could only dream to match. Arika kneeled beside the tree away from sight. She felt impotence run through her veins as it boiled her blood, she had no way of helping and Mashiro could be in trouble. It wasn't that she didn't trust Miyu, but she felt the need to protect Mashiro and wanted to help Miyu just in case she needed it.

As Arika pondered through all this, she turned when she heard some rustling come from some bushes across the garden. She was surprised when she saw Mikoto run towards her, but was even more surprised when she saw the cat's owner scramble underneath the large plant trying to get out.

A smile broke in both girl's faces as they saw each other. Mashiro stood up and as if forgetting the soldiers that could see her, she ran towards Arika. It was that moment that for both girls everything beside each other disappeared. It was only both of them as Arika hugged the young queen who cried onto her slender shoulder. Mashiro took the girl in a tight embrace that dare even the strongest to try and tear them apart.

"I'm sorry…" A single phrase was heard from Mashiro's lips before Aoi's screams were heard.

"WATCH OUT!"

Arika and Mashiro turned at the same moment to see two large figures dash towards them with weapons in hand.

Unarmed and defenseless, Arika moved Mashiro behind her so that she would be the one to take the full force from the hit, sparing Mashiro as much as she could.

"I love you."

Arika's whisper was the last thing heard as they embraced for the hit but were shocked when a loud scream escaped from the soldier's mouths.

Mashiro turned with Arika to see a large, illuminating figure lift up the soldiers with large claws into the air. Screams were heard before a few pieces of the soldier's uniform fell back onto the ground.

Arika pulled Mashiro backwards with her as the creature flew back and landed in front of them with it's claws showing no signs of the soldiers.

"A child…" Mashiro said softly as she remembered the other creatures she had seen earlier with the Principal and the Archmeister.

"That's right." Arika and Mashiro both whipped around to face Miyu who appeared behind them. "Arika-san, although you are not a direct reincarnation of a HiME like Kruger, Viola, and the others, you are a descendant from one, which means you have HiME blood. This is why you were able to unconsciously summon your child, Koan, when you most needed it."

"Koan…" Arika repeated slowly as the creature that strongly resembled an eagle, bumped her with its head as it tried to get its master's attention.

Arika smiled, taking quick familiarity with the Child, when the creature spun around, spreading its large wings around them to cover them from the shots that were being fired at them.

Koan launched itself against the mass of soldiers coming towards them, taking the fight into the sky. "Mashiro, let's go," Arika took Mashiro's hand as Miyu held back other soldiers who swarmed around them trying to kill them.

The queen and Arika ran into the castle to seek shelter but instead, found something worst.

"You!"

Arika was thrown backwards with Mashiro into a large wall with a large crash. Arika opened her eyes and was terrified when she saw Yuuichi hovering above them in a suit similar to that of his soldiers, except this one looked a thousand times better.

"I've been waiting for you Mashiro, and having you show up with your little girlfriend is like a birthday gift for me," Yuuichi said with a smirk on his face, "You have caused a lot of trouble for my men, and now with you two here, I can kill two ducks with one stone."

Arika was surprised when she saw Mashiro stand up beside her, "I will not let you harm her. You have done enough."

Without hesitation, Tate dove towards them with a long glaive that sported a sharp blade aimed directly at Mashiro's head, but was stopped as it was intersected by a crescent moon cutting blade.

Tate looked down in shock to see Arika holding a double-sided Halberd in her hands. He had no idea where the girl had gotten such a weapon, since he had not seen it with her before.

With a strong push, Arika threw Tate flying across the large room. "Arika! What is that?" Mashiro asked as she looked on to the weapon in Arika's hand with astonishment.

"I don't know. I just held up my hands as he swung towards you, and it appeared. It must be something related to the HiMe blood Miyu said before." Arika was unable to continue as she pushed Mashiro out of harm's way as Tate once more attacked them, except this time Arika was ready, and she was not going to forgive those that tried to harm Mashiro.

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Natsuki and Shizuru ran through the Garderobe halls with the twins in their arms as they ran towards the principal's office. "Shizuru, wait."

Shizuru stopped and turned to Natsuki, "What is it?"

"I think it will be better if we split." Natsuki said as she took Kiyo from her hands, "Take Duran with you and go to the founder's monument. Activate the system so that the Otome's powers are restored and they can help us. Since Kiyohime is so big, only summon her if it's really necessary."

"But-" Shizuru was cut off as Natsuki kissed her, "I trust you Shizuru."

Shizuru smiled and nodded as she ran back towards the monument. Duran was quick to take care of any soldiers that stood in her way. As she turned outside, she quickly hid behind a tree when she saw Masashi run towards the principal's office.

'_Natsuki…' _Shizuru turned to see Duran fighting with some soldiers, and without thinking it twice, she ran back to the direction where Masashi had ran.

'_Finally. If I can get rid of the Principal myself, Tate will trust me and let me near him again, and hopefully I can get my chance to get rid of him…' _Takeda slowed his pace as he neared the office, knowing that with this, he would be able to get Tate's trust back. Tate had been suspicious of everyone and did not let anybody near him alone. With all the guards around him, Takeda had been unable to get rid of him, which made Takeda really nervous as he feared for his own life.

"Principal Kruger." Natsuki's head shot up as she heard her name from the vicious man's mouth. She had been looking through her computer trying to unlock the system to facilitate Shizuru's job of activating the core, but now, she froze in place as Takeda held a gun pointed at her face.

"Oh look, you even brought your kids to watch you die. This will be a fun family event. Talking of which, where is your precious _wife_?" Takeda asked with sarcasm in his voice as he spoke the loathed word. Natsuki tried to move her arm to where she kept two automatic weapons just in case, but found them empty.

"Don't move!" Takeda yelled as he saw Natsuki's attempts, "It doesn't matter where Viola is, you are going to die."

Natsuki's heart speed up as she, for the first time, truly feared for her life. A soft click was heard as Takeda pulled back the hammer on his gun. "If you can't be mine…you won't be anybody's."

**A/N: Wow…that was long. I hoped you liked it. Please review and show me some love :D**

**I really worked hard on this. I hope you guys don't mind the whole HiMe thing and mixing it up with this, but I just HAD TO!!!! One more chapter after this, and then I will be starting my next story! It will be AMAZING! A type of sequel to this, but even better. Here's the title, if this tells you something: **

"**Mai-Otome: The Next Generation"**

**!!!Awesome ne?!!! Tell me what you think ;)**

_Next Chapter: The Aftermath._


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mai-Otome/Mai-HiME or the characters here. Sunrise Does. **

**Believing**

**8.**

"If you can't be mine…you won't be anybody's." Takeda's words rang through Natsuki as her heart pounded loudly against her ribcage. As if the world had suddenly slowed down, she watched as Takeda began to move his finger in the process of pulling the trigger.

She reflexively snapped her eyes closed as she awaited for the pain, but was startled when she heard the horrid sound of ripping flesh followed immediately by a cry of agony.

Natsuki opened her eyes to see the tip of a blade protruding from Takeda's chest. In one swift movement, the blade was taken back as Takeda released the gun and dropped to the ground gasping for his last breath with blood pooling around his limp body.

Shizuru stepped forward as she retracted her naginata. She had followed Takeda as soon as she saw him going towards the office where Natsuki and the twins were. Shizuru had arrived just in time to hear Takeda's threatening words as he aimed at Natsuki, and without thinking twice, a naginata materialized in her hand as she swung towards his heart. Shizuru did not exactly consider herself a violent person, but when her family was in danger, she was not one to hold back.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki ran to Shizuru as soon as she saw once Takeda had fallen. "Natsuki…" Shizuru held Natsuki tight as the younger woman cried desperately onto her shoulder.

"Thank you Shizuru…I was so…so scared…and the kids…I didn't want to die…Shizuru," Natsuki said between sobs. Shizuru did not let go of Natsuki, "I told you I would always protect you Natsuki, because I love you…"

Natsuki smiled as tears kept rolling down her cheeks, "I love you too…I love you so much Shizuru"

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The sound of metal's clashing thundered through the large palace room. Mashiro looked on with fear as Tate swung over and over at Arika as she deflected each attack.

Arika was not able to hit Tate since she was still on the ground while he was airborne. He moved with astounding speed around her as he tried to find an opening against the girl. Arika was quick to move and keep up with Tate, but not enough as he attacked faster and faster each time.

Her mind focused on defeating Tate, Arika could still hear the shouts and screams of soldiers as they tried to stop her child, Koan, from attacking them. Judging by the sounds, Arika could tell their tries were futile.

Mashiro stood to the side where Arika had pushed her off to keep her safe from harm, watching with worry as Tate attacked Arika without mercy.

"Give up! A child like you could never beat me!" Tate smirked when he saw an opening on Arika when she glanced sideways slightly to make sure Mashiro was okay.

"Aaahhh!" Arika's scream pierced through Mashiro's heart as she saw the love of her life being tossed against the farthest wall with a wound to her side.

Tate's demonic laugh echoed in the room, "It's over Mashiro!"

Mashiro ignored Tate, running swiftly across the rubble to find Arika unconscious, "Arika! Arika! Please get up!" Mashiro shook Arika desperately, "Please Arika, you can't leave me…"

"I love you Arika! Please don't go," Mashiro held the girl's body closely, as her tears rolled onto Arika's face.

"Arika…Arika…" Mashiro spoke the name through sobs as the girl she loved laid lifeless against her lap.

Mashiro did not notice when Tate launched himself towards them with his glaive aimed to kill, _'This is it, I will finally get rid of the strongest of my obstacles,' _Tate smirked as the distance grew shorter between him and his target.

A bright light shone across Tate's face, throwing him off course. Slamming against the wall above, Tate grunted in pain but looked up in horror as a large creature dove straight for him.

Mashiro heard the loud crash, and turning around she saw as Tate attacked Koan, desperately trying to keep him away. The child easily evaded the attack and ripped away part of Tate's suit with a fluid motion from his claw.

Tate crashed on the ground, now without the protection of his suit nor the ability to fly. Tate grappled his glaive tightly as he tried to pierce Koan.

Arika opened her eyes slowly, "Mashiro…"

Mashiro looked down to her lap and smiled with joy as she saw Arika slowly regaining consciousness. Arika returned the smile softly, "I love you too…"

As Mashiro leaned down to kiss Arika, they were unable to hear the agonizing screams of pain from Tate as Koan finally got tired of playing with him and decided to defeat the one that had tried to destroy his master.

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_~3 Years Later~_

"Aoi!" Aoi quickly ran into Mashiro's office, "Yes Mashiro-sama?"

".Arika?" Mashiro asked overly annoyed, since she had been calling her girlfriend over and over without response.

Aoi shuddered from the Queen's menacing tone, "I haven't seen her all day since this morning…"

Mashiro sighed, "Fine, when she comes in tell her she's sleeping in the guest room tonight."

"You're not having dinner Mashiro-sama? It's almost ready…" Mashiro stood from her desk and shook her head, "No thank you. Good night."

Mashiro left the office and fumed in anger as she strolled through the large palace garden on her way to her room. _'Where is she? Why hasn't she answered my calls at all? Is she mad?…' _Mashiro shook her head at the last thought as a slight blush came to her cheeks, _'No…after last night…she couldn't possibly be mad…'_

Mashiro looked up to the bright moon as she frowned, _'Where are you Arika?'_

As if receiving an answer, Mashiro was picked up from the ground in a swift movement. Mashiro held tightly as strong arms held her as she slowly opened her eyes that had automatically closed in shock to see she was in mid-air.

"Where have you been?" Arika laughed at Mashiro's angry tone, "What kind of question is that Mashiro-chan? No _hello_ or _I missed you_?"

Mashiro rolled her eyes as Arika flew in high speed through the nightly sky, "Not until you tell me where you've been."

"Well…I have a surprise for the most beautiful queen of all Earl!" Mashiro grinned, "Oh yea?"

"Yea…" Arika lowered herself and Mashiro down to the top of a large hill that was surrounded by a large lake. Mashiro awed as she looked to the amazing panorama presented in front of her, looking at the bright stars that reflected perfectly across the water and the large full moon that illuminated the table Arika had set up in the middle of the hill top.

"Please have a seat _milady_," Arika smiled brightly as she pulled the chair for Mashiro to sit. Arika had spent all day setting up the area so that it was perfect. She had mowed the grass all over the top of the large hill, since she knew Mashiro hated bugs and didn't want a creepy thing crawling over to her girlfriend and ruining the moment. Arika had set up a table and chairs and had flown all the way to the Black Valley to have Mai help her cook up the dinner for the night.

"Arika, this is…amazing…" Mashiro said as she took the chair that Arika presented to her, "I'm glad you think so, I did it for you after all," Arika replied as she leaned in for a quick kiss. She quickly served Mashiro some wine and served the food she had brought.

"Wow Arika, you really outdid yourself this time. This looks delicious!" Arika could not stop smiling as Mashiro complimented her. She served the Ramen and also set down some sushi, made with the best ingredients that could be found in the Black Valley.

'_This is spectacular, but I wonder why she went through so much trouble for just a simple dinner? She even cut the grass of the entire hill!' _Mashiro enjoyed her dinner with wonder, amazed at how Arika never fell to amaze her, even after the years they had spent together.

After the incident with Yuuichi, Mashiro and Arika had worked hard to repair the palace, the Kingdom, and most importantly, their relationship. She had announced her relationship with her, once again, Otome, and since the people owed so much to the Otomes after they had saved them from Yuuichi's tyranny, they had nothing to say that was not a compliment.

Arika continued being Mashiro's Otome, and had become one of the most highly acclaimed Otomes of all time, her popularity coming close to rivaling even that of Archmeister Shizuru, but of course, not above.

"That was great Arika, thank you," Mashiro said as she set down her fork after she had done eating. "You are very welcome," Arika replied, standing up and walking to Mashiro's side.

Mashiro's face blushed brightly and tears began to pool around her eyes when she saw Arika remove a small case from her pocket and kneeled down in one knee.

"Mashiro, I know many people kneel down to you daily, but right now, I am kneeling before Mashiro the person, my girlfriend, not the Queen that has the responsibility of a whole country resting on her shoulders," Opening the case, Arika smiled brightly, "Mashiro, I know we're still young, but I don't see why we should wait. I know I have found the person who I want to spend the rest of my life with. That person is you Mashiro, that's why I want to know if you would please marry me…"

Mashiro could not contain the tears of joy she felt as Arika proposed marriage to her. They were indeed young, at only twenty years of age each, but Mashiro knew this was right, this was exactly what she had been waiting for all her life.

"Yes, I want to marry you Arika!" Tears spilled from both girl's as joy overflowed though them. Arika carefully placed the engagement ring around Mashiro's finger. Since Mashiro was a queen, Arika had gone through a tough time finding a ring fit for a queen that had everything she wanted.

"It's beautiful Arika…" Mashiro brought her hand closer to inspect the ring, she was amazed at the detail of it, and was even more marveled at the two golden letters that stood inside the large, white diamond.

"You see that?" Arika said pointing at the ring, "It's an M for Mashiro and an A for me, and I don't know if you can tell, but there's a small heart between the letters."

Mashiro nodded enthusiastically, "I do, I see them," Getting up from the chair, Mashiro hugged Arika tightly, ,making Arika lose her balance and stumble backwards onto the short grass underneath.

"Thank you Arika, thank you so much," Arika smiled as she turned Mashiro so they both laid in their backs watching the stars above.

"Thank you Mashiro, for accepting to become my wife…" Mashiro grinned, "I was wondering when you'd ask…"

"Well, better late than never right?" Mashiro laughed and moved quickly to straddle Arika, "I can't wait to become your wife, Arika Yumemiya…"

"Oh yea? Well I can't wait to become _your_ wife either, Queen Mashiro Blan De Windbloom…" Arika pulled Mashiro's face closer to kiss her.

"And then, we can have little Mashiros running around the palace!" Mashiro shot up immediately, "Little Mashiros? What are you talking about?"

"Kids of course!" Arika replied with a large smile. Arika didn't know about Mashiro, since they hadn't discussed the topic before, but she was ready to have kids as soon as possible, since Arika had a deep love for kids. She would spend hours with the Kruger twins baby sitting them, specially since Aoi was not able to baby sit anymore since now, she had her own kids with Chie.

"Arika, you _just_ proposed to me and you already want to have kids? You are going to kill me!" Arika laughed at Mashiro, "Oh come on Mashiro-chan, you will love every second of it, especially the 'baby-making' part of the deal…"

Mashiro smirked, "Oh that part…" she lowered herself and spoke seductively as her hands began to wander, "That part I will most definitely love…"

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**A/N: Thank you all so much for following my story from beginning to end. I LOVED writing the story and LOVED all the feedback I received through reviews, favorites, and everything. Thank you so much for sticking with me till the end and having faith in me as an author. I look forward to bringing more stories to you all. Love You All :****)**

**I you liked this story, then you will love it's sequel, "Mai-Otome: The Next Generation", where you will be able to meet the kids of all the Otomes, including Mashiro's and Arika's, as they have their own adventures at Garderobe. I also started a story of Mai-Hime alternate universe called "Apocalypse Angels" that will be pure ShizNat. So if you love Shizuru and Natsuki, then you will love this story.**

**I will upload this two stories shortly, so please be on the lookout for them. Once again, thank you, and please show me some love with your reviews and kind words :D **

**Ja Ne!**


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